The Counsellor
by Michaelmas54
Summary: Edward is a successful Hollywood actor but is on the edge of a breakdown. His personal & professional life have been controlled by people who think of him as a commodity & when he loses the girl he loves because of this he walks away from his responsibilities but finds help in the nick of time in an unusual place from a strange woman. M for language, loving moments and some laughs.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Twilight, it all belongs to Stephenie Meyer - bless her**

On a warm summer evening in the heart of central London at the rear entrance of a grand five-star hotel, a narrow door leading onto a cluttered courtyard opened and a tall figure emerged on the threshold. Gazing past the refuse containers and stacks of cardboard boxes piled high against the walls, the young man hesitated before taking his next step.

The enormity of the decision he had made a few minutes ago in his hotel room caused his hands to involuntarily fly to his head to grab handfuls of hair in a sign of desperation. He knew in his heart that if he carried on walking there would be no going back for him but his mind was made up, he was getting away from this place before he lost his mind.

He pushed the door further open and dropped one foot onto the step below, hesitating for just one more moment before his other foot followed and then he stopped and listened carefully to the sounds around him. He could hear the constant hum of the city traffic mixed intermittently with police sirens. Above him there was the pulsating noise of a helicopter moving slowly through the air. To his right there was muffled laughter coming from a pub on the corner of the next street and in the distance, the unmistakable sound of Big Ben chiming seven o'clock.

There was no evidence of the sound he was listening for, the sound that followed him every day of his life, so he quickly crossed the courtyard with his head down and collar up, turning left onto the pavement and then left again around the corner of his hotel into the shadow of the adjacent building. He leaned against the dirty brick wall, then shutting his eyes tightly he put his hands up to his ears to block out the noises of the city.

He could feel his heart pounding frantically in his chest so he let his body sink slowly to the ground with his back to the wall and knees bent up, hunching himself into a ball to obscure his face from view. A passing pedestrian would have taken him for a down-and-out and would either have hurried past or paused to drop a coin into his hand if they were feeling generous. With his scruffy hair, worn jeans and turned up collar, they would not suspect for a moment he was a fabulously successful Hollywood actor, adored by millions, whose face currently covered acres of advertising space across the city.

Eventually the young man raised his head, ran his fingers through his tousled mane and rubbed his eyes. His fingers were damp, evidence of the tears of loss, anger and frustration he had been shedding in his hotel room just a few minutes ago. He slowly stood up and straightened his jacket, took a deep breath and began walking in the direction of the Thames which he knew was close to the hotel as he had a spectacular view of the river and the Embankment from his room.

He had been brought up, if you could call it that, not far from this river. As an angry and frustrated teenager he had sat on its banks to take time-out, usually after having heated arguments with his neglectful parents about matters that now seem trivial, but at the time, to him, were a matter of life and death.

For hours he would sit and watch the brown water following its ancient course to the estuary, the gentle flowing water soothing his adolescent temper. The river was his drug of choice that helped him cope with the traumas of his unhappy childhood and teenage years. He hoped for a brief moment that a trip to the water's edge this evening could help to bring him some solace like before, but, laughing grimly to himself, he knew that it would take someone wiser than Old Father Thames to sort out his problems and deal with the shit-storm he had just left behind.

He carried on walking with his head down, watching his footing on the uneven London pavements and then he heard the sound that he had been listening for in the doorway, the sound that plagued his life - the click click click of cameras, followed by the inevitable posse of men and a few women running towards him, shouting his name.

"Fucking Paps" he muttered under his breath as he broke into a fast sprint, quickly disappearing into the shade of a nearby alleyway between two buildings and then out into the next street. He was young and fit with long legs and even though he was not a sportsman per se, he could set a pretty good pace on a treadmill which meant that his stamina was more than adequate to outrun a pack of camera carrying, beer-swilling, cigarette smoking paparazzi.

He sped down nameless London streets, skidding around corners this way and that in an attempt to lose the predators. As he was running he imagined he was running for his life, away from all the bullshit, lies, corruption, intrigue and chaos that surrounded him, but after a few minutes at full speed he had to stop as he was gasping for breath.

He put his hands on his knees and drew a long breath, allowing himself a smile of satisfaction that he couldn't hear any sounds of pursuit. "Fat useless bastards" he said to himself. "Hope they all have a fucking heart attack!"

Now totally lost, he looked around for a street sign or any familiar landmarks but found himself in a crescent of pristine white-fronted Georgian houses with iron railings and window boxes full of summer flowers. A memory of his beloved grandmother came into his head and he smiled. She had spent her early childhood in this type of house in the 1930's before her parents went abroad and Edward had promised to buy her one when he was "all grown up" even though she assured him she was happy in her house in Richmond. Unfortunately she had not lived to see his success which was one of his many regrets.

"I can't do this anymore" he spoke out loud to the empty street. "What do these assholes fucking want from me, haven't they got enough fucking pictures?" he yelled at the world in exasperation.

There was no-one around to ask where he was and out of desperation he put his hand in his pocket for his cell phone. He intended to call his friend Jasper to try and convince him to come and rescue him, even though Jasper's last message to him was 'Fuck You', and then he remembered he had left his phone next to the bed in his room. "Crap!" he said out loud.

He walked away from the immaculate street with his head down and his jacket collar turned up hoping not to be recognised. He felt tears of frustration starting up in his eyes again and the edges of the paving stones gradually blurred from view as it suddenly occurred to him that he had nowhere to go.

It was almost five years since he had actually walked on the streets of London when he was twenty-one, which was just before he went to LA. He would either have been looking for any sort of work during the daytime and in the evening probably going to a gig, or drinking with Jasper and others, but making the most of the diverse London nightlife. He still loved this city, preferring it to the heat of LA or the brashness of New York. He missed the culture, the pubs, even the crappy weather. It was his home town but now he felt like a stranger.

Hearing the welcoming sound of glasses and laughter, he looked across the street and saw to his horror that the noisy pub that was at the back of his hotel was straight in front of him and the realisation hit him that he had obviously been walking and running in a circle. He looked cautiously along the familiar street and saw the huddle of paparazzi at the end of it, waiting like vultures for him to return to his hotel. Cursing under his breath, he turned around to escape in the opposite direction again, silently screaming in his head.

Glancing over his shoulder to see if he was being followed and not looking where he was going, he sprinted across the road, straight into the path of a woman, knocking her heavily against a parked vehicle. Almost in slow motion, he watched helplessly as her body slid down the side of the car and rolled onto the pavement. The woman lay still for a second and then she instinctively gripped her bag tightly to her and looked up fearfully at her assailant.

"Jesus, I am so, so sorry" he said dropping to his knees. "Are you okay, can I do anything?"

The woman was well dressed in smart black jeans and a leather jacket and he guessed she was aged about forty. "Should I call an ambulance, do you live nearby?" He put his hand under her arm and helped to lift her into a sitting position. "Are you injured at all" he asked panicking, looking for evidence of cuts and bruises.

"No I'm okay" she said as she brushed her clothes with her hands. "It's not every day I get swept off my feet by a handsome young man" she said with a grin. "For a second though I thought I was being mugged."

He helped her stand and retrieved some of the contents from her bag that had fallen into the road. She was average height, small build with brownish auburn hair, almost the same shade as his, and expressive green eyes. Her clothes were casual but very stylish and he noticed her bag was a Mulberry. God! Was he becoming so shallow that he was already checking her out and making assumptions?

The woman took her car keys from his hand and then looked up at his face as if to say something but instead she looked intently into the eyes of the stunningly handsome young man before her and gasped, but it was not the gasp of recognition he was used to, it was a gasp of concern and pity.

Her right hand reached up and touched his shoulder and then she raised it further up to his face, delicately touching the dark shadows under a pair of red-rimmed but still beautiful grey eyes. "I am fine" she said in a soft whisper, "but I would guess you're the one here who is hurting the most?"

He was transfixed as he allowed her to touch him. The gentle caress of her hand on his cheek and the caring tone in her voice triggered something inside of him, something he had not felt since the last time he saw his grandmother. He looked down into this strange woman's eyes and said in a voice breaking with emotion

"I do need help – I need to get away from here" and then he bent his head onto her shoulder and started to sob.


	2. Chapter 2

"Where the fuck is he?" A short, middle-aged man with obviously dyed jet black hair, wearing an expensive Italian suit, screamed at the young blonde girl standing in front of him, who was holding her clipboard up like a shield in front of an advancing predator. "He should have been down here for a briefing ten fucking minutes ago." The blonde girl backed away from the irate agent and pressed a button on her mobile phone. "I'll try Edward's number again James" she said, hoping and praying that Edward would pick up this time.

James turned away from her, muttering expletives, and walked towards the edge of the conference room stage, but just out of view of the audience. For the final time he checked that microphones, tables and chairs had been set out ready for his 'superstar client', the director and the 'leading lady' to speak to an invited audience of journalists and film critics about their latest movie. Already there were a few mutterings in the hall – the last thing he wanted was to antagonise the hacks on whose word a film could succeed or fail. The leading lady was still 'receiving guests' in her suite, surrounded by her entourage of make-up artists, masseurs etc., but she had a different agent who was at the moment beaming smugly at James in an irritating manner.

"Still no reply", the blonde girl whispered. Her name was Jane and she had been working for James for about two years. She ran his small London office, organising press junkets for James's celebrity clients and she daily thanked the Lord God Almighty that James ran his empire from LA and hated leaving his American office where he was no doubt surrounded by sycophantic yes-men. She was terrified of him, but as there was usually the convenience of at least 5000 miles of distance between them, she could just about cope with his occasional vitriolic outbursts when he visited the 51st State, or so he called the UK.

The pluses of her job outweighed the minuses in that she had met many famous and interesting people from the movie world – most of whom were a pleasure to work with. A few of them were complete shits; A-list actors who believed their own hype, like TFD as Edward liked to call his leading lady, who thought she was the sun the world revolved around, but Edward was a gentleman and her favourite client bar none, and she looked forward to his London stopovers as he was always a pleasure to talk to and work with. Well normally he was.

James spun on his heel and advanced towards her, knocking her clipboard out of her hand. "Don't just fucking stand there – find him! Search every room in this God-forsaken hotel, use fucking bloodhounds if you have to – I want him on that stage, sober and presentable, at seven fucking thirty at the latest! No-fucking-excuses!"

James reached into his pocket and took out a small bottle of pills. He filled a cup of water from the cooler and disappeared into an adjoining office. He tipped three of the pills into his hand, threw them into the back of his throat and then washed them down with the water. "I need a fucking cigarette" he growled, looking around him for anything puffable or drinkable that could contribute towards steadying his nerves. He made his way back to the stage, counted to twenty in his head and walked out in front of the audience, flashed his LA whiter-than-white smile and then tapped on one of the microphones, which caused the general chatter in the room to reduce.

"Ladies and Gentleman" he said, fixing his eye on one reporter sitting in the front row who was well known in the 'trade' as a nasty piece of work. "There may be a slight delay as Edward Cullen's car is currently stuck in London traffic, but he will be here as soon as possible" he lied, reasonably convincingly.

James looked out into the audience over the heads of the front few rows and felt a ripple of disquiet flowing towards him like a tsunami. He carried on. "Edward has offered to walk the rest of the way, but I have advised him not to – I don't want to risk him being spotted and torn to shreds by his female admirers." This was greeted with raucous laughter and one comment of "and a few male ones as well."

James smiled at the joke and threw caution to the wind. "To compensate for the delay, I have arranged for the hotel to open the bar behind you and complimentary drinks will be served shortly." Spirits were instantly lifted and James smiled to himself that not only had he bought himself some time, but a journalist with a few drinks under his belt would be more likely to write a favourable review.

James walked off the stage and located the hotel events manager who was hovering in the wings. "Get the fucking bar open – don't lose any sleep about the tab, the production company will cover it." He grabbed the man by the shoulders, turned him 180 degrees and shoved him forcefully down the corridor. The man started speaking frantically into a walkie-talkie and then gave James the thumbs up. "Why do I end up having to organise every fucking thing in this place" he ranted, hoping that his voice hadn't travelled into the auditorium.

Jane meanwhile had escaped from the trauma of dealing with her boss face to face, who she had noticed was turning slightly purple under his fake LA tan. While James was on the stage, stalling for time, she had decided to try Edward's room once again and so was now knocking loudly on the door of his suite. She had already been up here twice and had no response from the room even though she was pretty sure he was in there, but this time she had managed to get a spare key card from the front desk. She slid the card into the security panel and the door clicked open. She stuck her head into the room and listened for any signs of life. "Edward, are you in here?" she called. Silence.

Her eyes took in the sumptuous furnishings of his suite and she stole a glimpse of the spectacular view of London through the huge windows. There was nothing at all out of place in the room and no evidence that anyone had used the lounge area since it had been serviced. Edward had checked- in this morning with just his junket clothes and an overnight bag and had asked not to be disturbed so that he could have a rest after his long flight from LA, which was the last time anyone had seen him.

She wandered into the bedroom and saw his suit hanging on the front of the wardrobe, still in its cover. On his bedside table she noticed the designer watch he was wearing this morning and his cell phone. On the floor beside the bed lay a glass tumbler on its side which she thought was odd. She picked it up and instantly caught the strong smell of liquor, whiskey or brandy she couldn't tell. The smell made her feel nauseous - she had had a bad experience with vodka as a teenager and so avoided spirits like the plague.

She walked around to the other side of the bed towards the en suite bathroom and almost tripped over the hotel telephone that was lying on the floor. The receiver was off so she picked it up and replaced it on the cradle and then moved the phone back to its place on the bedside table.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she spotted herself in the mirror on the opposite wall. She looked worn out and ruffled – her makeup had almost disappeared and her hair needed attention. "Where the heck is he?" she asked herself out loud, wondering why he'd left the room and worryingly, without his personal possessions.

She glanced at the hotel phone and thought "Hmmm!" She picked up the receiver and dialled the number for the front desk. Instantly the phone was answered. "Yes Mr. Cullen – can I help you" came the smouldering response from the over-eager receptionist who was trying, unsuccessfully, to sound sexy and alluring!

"Hello, this is Jane Wolfe calling from Mr. Cullen's suite – I am hoping that you can" she said with as much authority as she could muster. "Can you tell me whether Mr. Cullen had any visitors or made or received any calls since checking in?" After a moment's hesitation, the receptionist responded. "Mr. Cullen didn't have any visitors who checked in at the front desk, but he made several calls during the late afternoon but only one call connected."

"Umm – would you know who Mr. Cullen was calling or do you have a record of the number?" Jane asked with fingers crossed.

"I'm afraid that information is confidential – I am sure you will understand Madam" was the response from the now disappointed woman on the other end of the phone. Jane muttered "Crap" under her breath and put the phone down.

She placed her face in her hands and prayed for divine intervention but no help was forthcoming, from God or anybody else. This was a total disaster. Her boss's number one client had done a runner and without a crystal ball or the services of Sherlock Holmes, she had absolutely no hope of finding him.

"Hang on a minute Jane – try his cell phone" she said aloud to herself and then dived over to the other side of the bed to grab his cell; she pressed the on button and a black and white picture of a young woman with long dark hair appeared on the screen. Jane studied the photograph to see if she recognised the girl, but even though the face seemed familiar, she couldn't put a name to her.

She looked at the picture again – the girl was young and beautiful, probably in her early twenties. She was sitting on a wall with a beer bottle in her hand and was smiling in a coy sort of way at whoever was taking the photograph. Jane tried to open the phone but it was locked, so that was yet another dead end.

Jane stood up and straightened the now ruffled bed cover. On the opposite wall she noticed the huge flat screen television. "Jane – you absolute IDIOT" she thought to herself. "CCTV – they must have it in the hotel."

Jane shot back to the hotel phone and rang the front desk again. "Yes" was the response of the now totally disinterested woman. "Where is your security office – I need to look at your CCTV cameras urgently." "On the ground floor madam – why, is there an emergency?" The woman was now sounding interested again. "I don't know – there may be" Jane responded and then slammed the phone down and headed for the door, still with Edward's cell phone in her hand. As she hit the button to call the elevator, her own mobile phone vibrated and rang.

"I want you to tell me that you've fucking found him" the now hysterical voice of James came down the receiver at a hundred decibels and Jane instinctively held her phone away from her ear.

"No, I haven't fucking found him" she retorted. "You're his fucking agent; you should have kept your eye on the fucking ball and not lost him in the first place."

She was on a roll now.

"I'm going down to look at the hotel's security cameras to see if he left with anyone, so stop fucking disturbing me."

She drew a deep breath and thought "Here goes my job."

"And while I think of it, stop fucking well saying 'fuck'. Can't you think of any other word to say other than fuck! Now just FUCK OFF James and let me get on with doing YOUR fucking job."

Jane slung her phone into her bag feeling tempted to turn it off completely but thought better of it.

The elevator arrived at the lobby and she hurriedly walked over to the reception desk. After showing her security card to the manager who had pre-empted her arrival, he escorted her into a corridor leading from behind the main desk, where the hotel's administrative staff worked during normal office hours. Being late in the evening the offices were now almost completely deserted.

The manager opened the last door in the corridor and ushered Jane into a dimly lit room that held at least thirty CCTV screens showing the comings and goings of the hotel. There were pictures of the main entrance, lobbies, dining rooms, the elevators and the underground car park as well as the roads and pavements to the front and rear of the hotel.

An overweight man in a grey security uniform turned in his swivel chair to look at her. "Can I help you Miss?" He smirked at her suggestively and waved his hand at the screens in front of him, swinging on his seat.

"I need to check urgently whether my client has left the hotel in the last four hours please."

Jane smiled at the man who she saw from his name badge was called Eric, and put on her best pleading look. Unfortunately Eric burst out laughing and said "Have you any idea how many people come and go through the doors of this hotel every day?"

Jane's shoulders sagged as she looked at the banks of screens in front of her and the steady stream of people coming and going through the revolving doors to the hotel lobby. She turned to the desk manager who was hovering behind her. "Do you think you would remember if Mr. Cullen left via the front entrance any time this afternoon?" The manager thought for a moment and said "No, I wasn't taking notice, but I know a girl who has been watching the elevators like a hawk all afternoon, hoping to get a glimpse of the famous Edward Cullen! I'll be right back."

He reappeared a couple of minutes later and said that the young lady on the desk was insistent that Mr. Cullen had not left the building at all during the afternoon, much to her disappointment. Jane looked at the screens again and then turned towards Eric. "Are there any other exits accessible to guests?"

Eric looked away from the screens and said "None. If a guest left through one of the fire exits, it would trigger an alarm and that hasn't happened this afternoon. The only other way out is through the kitchens."

Jane grabbed hold of the arm of his chair to stop him swinging it around and making her dizzy. "If there is a CCTV camera on the kitchen doors, can you PLEASE look back and see whether Mr. Cullen left that way." Eric shrugged his shoulders and started punching keys on his laptop. Pointing to a screen just to the right of where she was standing, he said to Jane "watch that one."

Jane focused on the plain kitchen door that was surrounded on both sides by large waste containers. The picture was jumping from frame to frame, occasionally showing images of the kitchen staff throwing waste into the bins or diving out for a quick puff. "Why is the view changing so rapidly?" she asked Eric who was also watching the screen. "This system automatically jumps to frames where there is movement" he explained, "saves going back over hours and hours of footage where there is no action."

Jane glanced back at the screen just at the moment when the door opened, and the silhouette of a slim young man appeared. Jane's hand covered her mouth to stop herself from shrieking out loud and then she moved closer to the screen, just to be absolutely sure that the man in the grainy picture was indeed Edward Cullen. She watched intently as his foot slowly dropped to the step, hesitating before his other foot followed and then he stopped and looked up directly into the lens of the camera.

After a few seconds of hesitation on the step, she watched Edward walk away from the kitchen door, out of the range of the static camera and onto the streets of London, away from James, away from her and away from the hundred or so journalists waiting expectantly in the conference room.

"Oh Fuck!" she said.


	3. Chapter 3

The woman took Edward in her arms and held his shaking body until she felt him regain control. Taking his hand and without speaking, she led him to the passenger side of the black four-wheel-drive car that had broken her fall and opened the door. Edward climbed in without saying anything and put his head back against the leather headrest, crushing his knuckles into his eyes, while the woman walked around the front of the car and climbed up into the driver's seat. As she closed her door he heard Big Ben striking once.

She flicked the ignition on without starting the engine and Edward felt a cool stream of air gently surround him. She leant over and adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable level and then reached behind her for a box of tissues that was on the back seat, putting it onto the central console. Edward grabbed a handful and wiped his eyes. "I'm so sorry" he said, staring ahead through the tinted windows, feeling embarrassed and not wanting to look her in the eye.

The woman turned to him and said "Do you want me to drop you somewhere, to your family or a friend's house maybe?" Edward looked down at his hands now filled with damp tissues. "No – I don't know, I just, .. I just need to get away."

Without speaking the woman put her hand on his arm, squeezing it and then turned the key to start the engine. She slowly pulled the car away from the kerb, made a skillful U-turn and drove to the end of the road, then turned left into the busy London traffic.

At the first junction the car stopped at a red light and Edward watched while a procession of Japanese tourists with their guide crossed the road in front of them. On a billboard high up on the opposite side of the road was a giant poster advertising his latest film to the world below and he saw his face, along with that of his nightmare of a co-star, Tanya Fucking Denali, staring straight back at him. He noticed that the woman sitting next to him was also looking up at the billboard – she turned to say something but thought better of it, she just nodded her head and smiled with the corners of her mouth.

Weaving in and out of the lines of traffic she spoke again. "I'm not kidnapping you by the way" and smiled reassuringly at him. "I can take you to a quiet place where you can rest and think, without the distractions of the 21st century to bother you. It's about an hour or so's drive away from here. Would you like to go there now?"

Edward gazed out of the car window at the sight of the bustling streets around him and it occurred to him that apart from the noise of the engine, he couldn't hear any sounds of the city inside the car. Looking over at the dashboard he saw the name 'Range Rover' on the steering wheel and knowing that this old British company made top of the range, expensive vehicles, he guessed that this one must have state-of-the-art sound-proofing, as there was absolutely no sound filtering in from the outside world. He had travelled in limousines in LA and New York before, but this four-wheeled drive super-car was in a different league.

He took a deep breath and without any more hesitation, turned to the woman and said "Yes, that sounds perfect, thank you." He relaxed into the comfortable leather seats and felt an overwhelming sense of calm descend upon him, and he felt as though he was taking his first step to escape the craziness of his life.

The woman put her foot on the accelerator and the Range Rover sped up, heading towards a tunnel that Edward didn't recognise as having been in this part of London before, but what did he know, he hadn't driven in this part of London for years. The car plunged into the tunnel's darkness and lights on the dashboard came on automatically. "Why don't you shut your eyes and rest" the woman suggested. Edward felt his eyes closing and a wave of tiredness swept over his body. "I'll wake you when we get there" she said as Edward slipped into semi-consciousness.

Edward dozed for the next hour – the smoothness of the ride and the quietness of the car meant that he was undisturbed during the journey. When the woman shook his arm to tell him they had arrived at their destination, night had fallen quickly but he felt refreshed and wide awake.

"Where are we?" he asked the woman as he carefully got out of the car. It was pitch dark around him as the car lights had already been turned off and all he could see was shadowy shapes. Even though he could feel the smooth surface of a driveway under his feet, he couldn't make out the outline of a house - or anything else for that matter.

"We're home" she said. "Just wait there and I'll put the outside lights on – there are no street lights around here, which is great if you want to star-gaze but a bit dangerous at other times." The woman disappeared and after a couple of seconds, light flooded the driveway and Edward saw the house in front of him.

It was a single story house with brick walls and wide leaded windows on either side of the door. It was difficult to tell how big it was from the drive as the sides of the house were obscured with trees and bushes. The woman opened the front door with her key and the hallway was instantly bathed in a soft light.

"Come in, come in" she said, beckoning Edward towards the doorway. For the first time he felt a sense of unease and he hesitated, wondering what he was walking in to. He made his way slowly down the neat path and stopped in the doorway before swallowing his fears and stepping inside. The woman had already taken off her leather jacket and had slung it on a wooden seat by the door that looked suspiciously like a pew from a church.

The woman looked at him, sensing his caution, "I'm not Kathy Bates" she said with a grin. "I'm not going to tie you to a bed and break your ankles to stop you from running away" obviously referring to the Stephen King film. "Here are my car keys – I will leave them here by the front door which will not be locked. You can take the car and drive away at any time – just leave a note where you're going and I will arrange to have it collected. You can stay for as long as you like – no questions asked. I don't have a radio, telephone or a television. Are you hungry by the way?"

Edward looked at her in amazement and realised suddenly that his mouth had dropped open. He watched as she placed the keys on a small table in the hallway. He cleared his throat and said "Yes I am hungry, thank you."

He followed her through an arched doorway into a large kitchen. The room was like something out of Country House magazine but old-fashioned and well-used. The Aga on the far wall was timeless, the design not changing in decades, but Edward knew for certain that the next person to own this house would probably rip this charming, homely kitchen out and replace it with a shiny monstrosity from IKEA. She pulled a chair out and motioned for him to sit at the pine kitchen table and he watched her as she began busying herself with kettles, teapots and breadboards.

"I don't know your name" he said. The woman turned from what she was doing to look at him. "It actually is Kathy or Katherine, but I prefer to be called Kate" she said and giggled, "but my second name is not Bates" she added. Edward laughed and said "I'm Edward Cullen, but I guess you've already worked that one out." Kate nodded and poured hot water into a teapot.

Within a few minutes Edward was eating a huge sandwich made with home-made bread, filled with cheese and tomatoes, washed down with a mug of tea. While he was eating, Kate opened the double doors leading outside and switched on some ornamental lights that illuminated a stone patio and a large garden. Beyond the patio, he could see an immaculate lawn surrounded by deep borders of traditional English flowers and shrubs, along with a couple of greenhouses and a summer house.

Edward looked through the windows admiring the idyllic garden and saw a movement in the bushes. "Jesus, is that a badger?" he said. Living in London he had never seen a badger in real life, and he was surprised to see one so close to the house. It ambled out of the bushes and slowly walked with Kate to the end of the garden, following her like a pet dog, and then it disappeared behind a tree. Edward noticed that there was a hen house down there and watched as Kate went into the rustic looking hut shooing several hens in front of her.

He got up from his chair and walked out onto the patio. He could smell the roses in the flower bed nearest to the house and the smell was heavenly, reminding him of his grandmother's garden in Richmond. He looked up into the night sky and was taken aback at the number of stars that were visible. He had only seen a sky like this while on location in the Caribbean. He was surprised to make out the outline of the Milky Way, which he thought was impossible in England due to the light pollution, but there it was. This area must be one of the best places for astronomers in England he thought.

The air was still warm so he sat on one of the wicker chairs on the patio and watched while Kate locked the hen house for the night. The badger came out to see what was going on and then wandered off into the bushes again. The only night time sounds he could hear now were a few birds obviously suffering from insomnia and the gentle rustle of the trees surrounding the garden.

Kate went back into the kitchen and came out a moment later with a heavy crystal tumbler half full with amber liquid. "Brandy" she said. Edward took the glass in both hands and swirled the contents around before taking a small sip.

"I'm not going to pry – you can talk if you want to – I'm a good listener," Kate said, taking a sip of her own drink before setting her glass down on the table. She picked up a pencil and a large notepad and started doodling while Edward stared into the amber depths of his drink.

"My life is a fucking mess" Edward said in a quiet voice. After a few minutes he spoke again but this time louder and with more conviction. "I'm apparently the envy of men, I have women throwing themselves at my feet, I have a career that most people would give their right arm for, I've travelled the world in luxury, I'm wealthy, I'm healthy, and I should be the happiest man on Earth".

Edward put his glass down and ran his hands through his hair, tugging handfuls in frustration. He got up and walked to the edge of the patio and turned to look at Kate.

"I hate my life – I'm followed everywhere I go, my life is a soap opera, my agent is a bastard, every move I make, every person I talk to is controlled by people who see me as a commodity. My agent dictates which films I can or cannot make, I cannot do what I want; I have nowhere to call home, so I live out of a fucking suitcase and..." Edward turned away from Kate and looked up at the stars and to heaven beyond "and I've just lost the only person who made my life worth living - because of other people's greed and my own fucking stupidity".

He walked back to the table, picked up the glass and downed the rest of the brandy in one go.

Kate leaned back in her chair and watched Edward as he paced up and down the patio. "The bottle is on the kitchen table – help yourself" she offered. Edward changed direction and went into the kitchen, coming back with the bottle in his hand. "Thank you" he muttered and poured another shot into his glass.

Kate carried on drawing on her notepad as the time ticked away and Edward sat quietly watching a spider creating an intricate web across the front of one of the garden lights. He took another sip from the glass and leant back looking up at the heavens again. The starlight was so bright that he couldn't pick out the familiar constellations – they were absorbed completely by the thousands of stars that were normally obscured by light pollution. "Amazing" he thought.

"Do you feel like talking?" she said, putting down her notepad and refilling her own glass from the bottle. "You don't have to, but a problem shared is a problem halved I think is an old expression."

"I don't know where to start" Edward replied, watching the spider going round and round in circles.

Kate kicked her shoes off and wiggled her toes. "Well you've already told me the end – why don't you try the beginning?" she said. Edward let out a long sigh and then shook his head. "The real beginning was nearly five years ago when I signed with my agent, but I'll start three years ago when I got my first big break in acting."

Edward smiled at an old memory and took another sip of the brandy. He realised the alcohol was loosening his tongue and he was in danger of disclosing more about himself to Kate than to anyone else in his short life, but he didn't care. He had in effect walked away from his so called life a couple of hours ago, so he might as well carry on being reckless and kick down the barriers he had built around himself, ever since he had become public property.

Putting his feet up onto a spare wicker chair in front of him, he had the feeling that he was lying on a psychiatrist's couch and he was preparing to spill his soul to a shrink in order to be healed. His mind went back to a hot summer day three years ago and a film set near Los Angeles.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mr Cullen, Mr Cullen!" Edward heard a knock on the door of his trailer. He was staring at yet another new set of lines that he would have to learn, as the script writer had once again made some totally unnecessary changes to placate the leading actress and her equally annoying agent, who felt that her part needed more depth and gravity. "It was a fucking action 'stroke' comedy they were filming, not Henry the Fifth" he grumbled.

"Mr Cullen – five minutes please". Edward yelled "OK – got it" and then disappeared into the bathroom to freshen up – today was going to be a long session in more ways than one.

He left the trailer and walked to the set in the bright Californian sunshine then sat down on one of the canvas chairs that often have an actor's name on the back. His name didn't rank highly enough for one of his own yet, even though he was the 'leading actor' in this film, so he relaxed for the moment on an anonymous one while a girl from make-up checked him over for blemishes.

The first scene in the afternoon was being filmed outdoors and would involve a hundred or so extras. They were currently being herded like cattle towards one end of the lot and confined in a holding area until they were needed. Edward remembered his first experience of filming in England when he was 17; he was hired as an extra and had been picked out from the group of hopefuls and given three words to speak to camera, which had then been unceremoniously discarded on the cutting room floor. On reflection he was quite relieved about this because the film had bombed quite spectacularly.

He was once again waiting for Madam Superstar, Tanya Denali, to grace the set with her presence, so he entertained himself by watching this group of budding young actors employed as extras, who were chatting to each other and looking over in his general direction. He amused himself by thinking that the next Laurence Olivier or Katherine Hepburn might be among this bunch, so he would remember to be polite to them – if he ever got the chance to talk to any of them. It was unusual for extras and the stars to get a chance to socialise on the set however, even when the cameras weren't rolling.

The Director and Tanya appeared and the extras and leading actors started taking their places. The first take was a busy street scene with green screens behind bits of street furniture, which was intended, through the magic of technology, to make it look like they were in downtown New York.

Edward had to run through a crowded sidewalk with Tanya, being chased by a group of angry young criminals who they had just conned out of a fortune, jump into an open top car and speed away into the sunset. Sounded easy, the chase would last no more than 30 seconds with no lines to say other than "Run", "Watch Out" and other NC13 expletives, but there would be hazards along the way to add hilarity to the situation.

There had been a few practice runs with doubles, but this was the first time the actors had done it for real. Edward and Tanya were at one end of the set with cameras placed strategically along the route, covering all angles in order to capture multiple shots of the chase which was going to be done in one take for continuity, hopefully.

Edward looked down at Tanya's feet and noticed she was wearing ridiculously high heels. "What the fuck "he said pointing downwards. Tanya looked at him directly in the eyes and said "these make my legs look great don't you think?" pulling her skirt up higher than necessary and fluttering her eyelashes at her very handsome leading man. Edward rolled his eyes up to heaven and thought "this is a disaster waiting to happen." He gripped hold of her hand and said "for fuck sake, don't fall over." Tanya giggled and said "If I do, I'll make sure you fall on top of me."

Edward looked straight ahead and fixed his eyes on the Director who was waving his hands in the air like an orchestra conductor. He was becoming more and more uncomfortable about Tanya's sexual advances and unsubtle hints that were increasing in intensity day by day. He accepted that he had to work with this bimbo for the next five weeks and because he was about seven steps below her in the film world's hierarchy, he knew he had to be diplomatic when he responded to her unwelcome amorous intentions. But he found it very difficult, having to rely on his ingrained British politeness to stop himself from being rude.

"OK – ready for the first take" the Director shouted. The set eventually fell silent and then the most important word in the world of cinema was shouted out - ACTION!

Edward gripped Tanya's hand and propelled her down the street, followed by actors playing the gang of criminals they had just conned out of their ill-gotten gains. They forced their way through the crowd of extras, avoiding all the usual hazards like dogs, small children, prams, old folks, panes of glass etc. They were doing brilliantly for the first 20 seconds but then, while struggling through the final crowd of people who were between them and their car, Tanya's heel got caught on the edge of a pretend drain cover and her whole shoe twisted underneath her. Tanya went flying sideways and crashed into Edward, who in turn collided with one of the extras who fell backwards, ending up underneath him on the ground, exactly where Tanya wanted to be.

Edward looked down at the girl who was pinned below him with her eyes tightly closed. He had landed on top of her in the most intimate position, with his legs between hers and his arms either side of her head. His face for a second had been buried in her hair which was a beautiful shade of brown and amazingly soft. He inhaled deeply as the scent in her hair was exquisite – it reminded him of an English summer and roses and in those few brief seconds he closed his eyes in an attempt to commit this scent to his memory.

He pulled himself up on his arms and opened his mouth to apologise to whoever was underneath him, but before he had a chance to say anything, the girl opened her eyes and looked directly up into his and he couldn't stop himself gasping. He was staring into the most beautiful pair of eyes he had ever seen and it was only then he discovered that he had lost the power of speech.

It took just a few seconds for Edward's eyes to scan the rest of the girl's face and body and store every inch of her perfection into his memory. He noticed that a flush of embarrassment was appearing on her cheeks and neck and his good manners took over. Reluctantly he rolled over onto his side away from her body and quickly stood up, holding his hands out to her to help her get to her feet. She smiled up at him and raised one hand to take his, just as Tanya yelled out in a most unladylike manner "Never mind about the fucking Extra, what about helping me!"

Edward turned to look at Tanya lying sprawled out on the ground. He had totally forgotten about her in an instant and was now in a quandary as to whether to help the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, or do what was expected of him and assist the leading lady, even though she didn't look like a lady at the moment with her tits on display, her skirt bunched around her waist, ripped stockings and one shoe – nice! Fortunately for him, Tanya's entourage appeared almost immediately to rescue their damsel in distress and she was carried from the set by two medics, but only after giving Edward a withering look that could turn milk.

Edward turned back to assist the girl on the floor but she had already gone. He looked around frantically to see in which direction she was heading but she had completely disappeared like Cinderella at midnight. He grabbed one of the actors who had been running behind Tanya when the accident happened and asked him if he had seen where the girl had gone. He shrugged his shoulders and pointed to an Assistant Director who was apparently in charge of the extras. "Ask him" he said helpfully.

Edward walked quickly over to the guy whose name was Paul and asked him if he knew where the girl might have gone. "I didn't see what happened" Paul said. All I know is that the Director has said that scene has been abandoned until Miss Denali has recovered, so all the extras are being sent home."

Edward looked around the set for a while but in the end had to admit defeat. He walked in the direction of his trailer as all filming had been abandoned for the day, kicking at the dust under his feet, recalling the mysterious girl and a pair of beautiful brown eyes in a heart shaped face. He couldn't believe he had turned his back on this girl for 'Tanya Fucking Denali'. "Fuck-it" he muttered, wishing he could turn the clock back and that he hadn't just given up cigarettes.

He had just entered the area where the trailers were located when he heard someone shouting his name. He looked back and saw Paul hurrying towards him. "Edward. Good News! The girl you almost crushed to death is apparently called Bella, and she's not a hired extra" he shouted as he approached huffing and puffing. "She's studying film production at college and she's been coming here during the summer to watch and learn. We were short of extras today so she offered to help out."

Edward's spirits rose immediately and questions started pouring out from his lips. "Can you contact her? Do you know her other name? Will she be here tomorrow? Which College is she at? "No, No, I don't know and I've no idea" Paul responded with a grin. "But tell me, why the hell are you so interested?"

"I want to apologise first of all" Edward said sheepishly, "and also to check that she's ok. I'm a big guy and I fell right on top of her." Edward smiled at the memory, which was not lost on Paul.

"And I suppose you'd like to give her one as compensation," Paul joked lewdly, not thinking for a minute that he was almost hitting the nail on the head.

"Actually, I would like to take her to dinner first" Edward replied. "It's the least I can do, and if she is serious about becoming a film maker, maybe I can help her." He was trying unsuccessfully not to sound too eager.

Paul chuckled and turned to walk away but not before giving Edward a knowing wink. "I'll see what I can find out – I'll come and find you tomorrow when I've asked around."

Edward stood in the lot for a moment feeling a bit more hopeful. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a movement behind the blinds of the trailer nearest to him, this one was huge compared to his and he could see and smell cigarette smoke filtering through the open window. He guessed someone must be sitting right next to the window having an illicit puff, which wasn't allowed in the trailers, so whoever it was must have heard the conversation between Paul and himself and he had a pretty good idea whose trailer this was and who had been listening.

Edward walked away smirking – maybe Tanya would start getting the hint now that he wasn't romantically interested in her and she would back off. He really didn't want to have to tell Tanya to her face that she wasn't his type, as that would make the next five weeks a bit awkward. He laughed to himself and thought that even if plastic was his thing, he would much prefer to date a Barbie Doll or even one of those blow-up ones from sex shops, than have a date with Tanya. He chuckled to himself imagining taking a blow-up girl for dinner and a movie. He carried on back to his trailer, collected his belongings and headed to the parking lot to pick up his car.

* * *

In his hotel that evening, he lay on his bed thinking about Bella. "Bella with the beautiful eyes; Bella with the beautiful hair; Bella with the beautiful name. Bella Cullen – that sounds good. Hey stop that, what am I thinking? I've seen her for about 20 seconds and touched her, once! What's the matter with me?" He sat bolt upright and then swung his legs onto the floor and thought "this is fucking crazy."

He dragged his t-shirt over his head and slung it on the bed then headed for the shower. He stripped the rest of his clothes off in the bathroom and turned on the jets to the hottest setting he could tolerate and stepped into the cubicle turning his face upwards into the water cascading from above, letting it pour over his face and down his body.

He tipped body wash into his hand and rubbed it slowly into his neck and shoulders and then over his chest, massaging his muscles that were still aching slightly from the fall. His right hand found its way down to his cock that had been uncomfortably hard since acquiring the unforgettably delicious memory of finding himself lying on top of Bella. Placing his left hand against the shower wall and leaning forward, he looked down at his hand that was now massaging his aching cock and imagined Bella in front of him on her knees, looking up at him with her wide brown eyes, eager to pleasure him with her hands and mouth. He came so quickly and so hard he thought his head was going to explode.

He finished his shower, making sure the cubicle was clean. He wasn't a slob and would certainly not want to leave that sort of shit for the hotel staff to clean up – gross! He towelled his body dry and put on some sweats and a vest, ordered some food from room service and settled down on the bed to watch some TV.

He heard his cell phone ring and saw it was his mother calling from England. He ignored the call - he couldn't deal with another argument with that malicious bitch at the moment, so he let it ring until his voice mail kicked in.

He started daydreaming about what would happen tomorrow. With luck he would see Bella on the set and he would approach her with the intention of apologising and enquiring politely as to her well being. He imagined engaging her in conversation about her college course and then inviting her for dinner, where he would tell her stories about his relatively limited time as an actor and amuse her with anecdotes about the films he had done and the places he had been.

He lay on the bed, thinking of several scenarios where he would end up being alone with her and he would reach over to gently kiss her. He imagined the softness of her lips and the feel of her hands as they touched his face and then her fingers would run through his hair, tugging at it as their kisses would become more intense.

He tried unsuccessfully to stop his imagination descending into NC17 territory by rolling over so that he was face down, burying his face in his pillow. His hand went down the front of his pants and he gripped himself as though his life depended on it. His face was sweating now so he rolled onto his back again and started pumping his cock vigorously. His eyes opened and he saw a vision of Bella straddling his hips, slowly gyrating on top of his grateful body. Her hair was falling in waves down her back, exposing her long neck and small, but perfectly formed breasts.

His free hand reached up to touch her, but like a mirage in the desert, his hand grasped at nothing just as he reached his climax. He grabbed the abandoned t-shirt that was still lying conveniently on the bed and released into the folds of material and lay there panting for several minutes wondering what the hell had happened to him to react in this way after less than half a minute with this girl.

He eventually swung his legs off the bed and walked to the bathroom and threw the t-shirt in the tub; he would deal with that shit in the morning. After cleaning up and brushing his teeth, he climbed into bed and lay there wondering where Bella was right now and what she was doing and more importantly, if she was with anyone? Trying not to contemplate the thought that she was somebody else's lover, he tossed and turned in his bed, but eventually a restless sleep came to him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a small apartment across town, Bella took a late-night call from the studio. She spoke briefly to the man on the end of the phone and then quietly switched it off and sat on her bed staring into space. After a few minutes she flicked her phone open and called her best friend Alice.

"Hi Bella" Alice squealed. "What's up, why are you calling so late?" Bella tried to hide the emotion in her voice as she didn't want Alice to suspect how upset she was, but before she said anything she knew for certain that Alice would probably pick up that something was wrong straight away.

"I've been banned from the set" Bella said in a quiet voice. "Apparently I upset someone today and the studio has withdrawn my pass and is telling my college that I can't observe there anymore."

"I'm on my way" Alice said. Bella turned her phone off and burst into tears.


	5. Chapter 5

Kate hadn't said anything while Edward related the story of his first encounter with Bella. He had of course only told her the basics, leaving his more intimate memories to himself. He was sure she didn't want to hear about him jacking off alone in a hotel bedroom.

It was starting to get chilly outside so Kate suggested moving indoors. Edward got up from his seat and picked up his glass and the bottle, glancing up for the last time that evening at the sparkling canopy of stars.

He followed Kate into a room that was full of deep sofas, colourful rugs and a huge stone fireplace. In the corner was a piano on which there were a number of black and white photographs of children plus one of a dog and a cat. They sat quietly for a few moments until Kate broke the silence.

"Did you manage to locate her?" Edward shook his head and gripped his hands together. "No, she never came back to the studio. I didn't know at the time that she had been banned from the set so I just presumed she had gone back to college."

Kate had brought her notepad with her and was writing or drawing while Edward was talking, occasionally looking up at his face and then down at the pad. "Did you try and find out where she lived?" she said.

"Yes, I made enquiries at all the local colleges that ran those types of courses – and believe me there are quite a few in California, but none of them had a student called Bella." He leant back into the sofa and picked up one of the cushions, hugging it to his chest tightly like a shield. "I asked Paul and the other studio staff whether they had any contact details for her, but no-one offered me any information, which I thought was odd at the time, seeing as Paul had inferred that she had made several trips to the studio in the past month."

Kate looked up at him – he was frowning, obviously remembering the frustration of the situation. "When did you find out what had happened?" she said, prompting him to carry on talking.

Edward relaxed into the sofa and recalled his first epic showdown with Tanya.

* * *

It was the last day of filming for the lead actors. Tanya had been particularly diva-ish that day, mainly aiming her spite at one of the make-up girls whom she had reduced to tears. "She had banned the girl from touching her face again and so she had been relegated to fixing my ugly face" Edward said, laughing at his own joke.

Edward asked the girl who was called Irina what she had done or said to upset Tanya so much. Irina whispered into his ear that she had lost it in the end with Tanya and had pointed out to her that she was a make-up artist, not a fucking miracle worker, and even she couldn't turn a 25 year old face into a 17 year old one again.

Irina told Edward that she had been straight with Tanya because she knew she would have the backing of the Director. Tanya had been rude and offensive to the crew throughout the shoot and everyone was sick of working with her. Irina added ruefully that Tanya was known to be a vindictive bitch that held grudges and she would more than likely try and damage her career in the future, then she said something that stopped Edward in his tracks."

Irina looked straight at him and said "you know she got an Extra removed from the set because you wanted to take her out for dinner?"

Edward couldn't believe what she was saying and then he recalled that he had suspected Tanya had overheard his conversation with Paul by the trailer. He needed confirmation of this before taking any action, so he thanked Irina for the information, promising he wouldn't divulge the source, and found Paul on the set already looking a bit stressed as it was the last day of filming and there was a lot to be done.

"I'm going to ask you something Paul, I want you to give it to me straight - I don't want or need any kind of bullshit" he said and then they had a brief but very heated conversation.

Edward walked over to where Tanya was sitting with one of her entourage who was massaging her feet. He looked at the girl and said politely "I want to talk to Miss Denali privately for a moment - would you mind excusing us?" The girl stood up and disappeared without question.

Tanya looked at him expectantly, possibly thinking in her deluded mind that he had come to his senses and was going to ask her for a date.

"You fucking bitch – you got a girl banned from the studio because I was taking an interest in her." He yelled at her accusingly, confident in the knowledge he had just obtained from Paul, who had admitted he knew the whole story and had been sworn to secrecy by the studio.

Tanya blanched and then stood up defensively. "You bet your sweet ass I did – I wasn't having some low-life fucking EXTRA coming between us!" she screamed. Edward grabbed her arms tightly and then said in slow, measured words, so that she had time to absorb the full impact of his anger. "There-is-no-fucking US; there-will-never-BE-fucking-US; just get that into your thick skull and don't you EVER interfere in my life again!"

Tanya's mouth dropped open and then she regained her composure. "You don't mean that, you're just playing hard to get." She smiled at him coyly and fluttered her eyelashes suggestively.

He had started to walk away seething with anger, but when she said that he turned around and walked back at her, pointing his finger in her face aggressively. "When this film is over, I never, ever want to work with you, see you, or talk to you again."

Tanya threw her head back and laughed. "That's what you think Edward, but unfortunately it's not up to you anymore."

He gave her the bird and walked through the set, ignoring a frantic shout from Paul who was now concerned that he had a very pissed leading actor to deal with, but thankfully not for much longer. "She must be out of her fucking mind if she thinks that" Edward muttered under his breath and headed back to his trailer.

He did his final scene that day but mercifully it was not with the evil bitch. He made a point of thanking the Director before leaving the set, hopefully for the last time on this shoot. He prayed that post-production didn't call for any re-takes, especially with TFD, which was his acronym for Tanya FUCKING Denali.

He was driven back to the hotel which was effectively his home as he hadn't bothered renting an apartment since he came to LA. When he got to his room he slung his bags on the floor and threw himself on the bed, opened his phone and found the number for his agent.

James picked up his call immediately – Edward was his main source of income now and he had just taken delivery of a stunning yacht in lieu of his cut from the film Edward had just wrapped, which was now bobbing in the sea off Santa Barbara.

"Yes, Edward – want can I do for you?" he said; which was a significantly different tone from the one he used when Edward first met him a couple of years ago. Then Edward was a young, inexperienced and naive actor from England with only two insignificant films and some stage work under his belt. But James had taken note of Edward's outrageous good looks and decided to take a chance with him, but not before ensuring that Edward signed away his artistic freedom for the next five years, meaning that James could more or less dictate what films he could or couldn't make. He also took an extraordinarily large cut of Edward's fee for every film, so Edward was his flavour of the month at the moment.

"I never want to work with Tanya Denali again" Edward yelled at James, who held the phone away from his ear. He had never dealt with an angry Edward before and was intrigued to find out what the problem was. James thought quickly – this was not a conversation he wanted to have over the phone so he asked Edward to come by his office next day "when you've calmed down sonny" he said. "OK" Edward replied, "as long as you understand that I never want to see, speak or most of all kiss that fucking viper ever again – in fact I would rather kiss a fucking viper than that scheming bitch."

Edward turned off his phone and went down to the parking lot. He jumped into his silver Aston Martin DB9 Convertible and drove out into the Los Angeles traffic with the top down, heading towards the coast. He drove slowly in heavy traffic down the Santa Monica Freeway until he reached the ocean and then turned onto the road leading to the Pacific Coast Highway. Ignoring the speed limit, he floored the gas pedal and felt the full power of the magnificent vehicle as it roared past the more law-abiding citizens of LA who were enjoying a leisurely evening drive.

It had been five weeks since he had seen and touched the girl who was haunting his every thought and he still couldn't get her out of his mind. Was this love at first sight? He didn't believe in it, but he did now understand the power of instant and overwhelming attraction. Bella was an itch he couldn't scratch and it was driving him insane.

Filming was over thank God and he was relieved that he wouldn't have to see or touch that nauseating woman again. He needed to make her pay for what she had done and he resolved there and then that he would make it his life's mission to find Bella and parade her in front of Tanya as his girlfriend one day, which would really piss her off.

He drove like a maniac along the magnificent coastal road between the green Californian hills and the blue Pacific Ocean. "Freedom!" he shouted out loud and laughed – he was young, handsome, and rich, driving the car of his dreams; all he had to do was find Bella and his life would be complete. I'm a lucky son-of-a-bitch he thought.

* * *

The next morning he walked into his agent's office and was greeted by James and the company lawyer, a man called Marcus whom Edward disliked intensely as he had been instrumental in drawing up the stifling contract that Edward had with his agent. James gestured for Edward to take a seat on the opposite side of a large glass coffee table, while the lawyer shuffled papers around on James's desk.

"So you have a beef with Tanya then?" James said, looking at Edward for some clues as to what had made his client so agitated. "You do realise that you will have to meet again at the premieres" he added and waited for a response.

"I can cope with the premieres" Edward replied "but that's it – no more."

James looked at the lawyer who was starting to look slightly anxious. "Actually, it is not quite as simple as that Edward" he began.

Edward moved towards him in a slightly threatening manner.

"It's all to do with contracts" James continued. "When you signed up for this film, there was a clause in the contract that if the film was a success, you would be obliged to make at least two sequels, so I'm afraid that the chances are that in about six months, you and the delightful Miss Denali will once again be conning criminals out of their ill-gotten gains." James sat as far back in his seat as possible, waiting for Edward's reaction.

Edward stared at the paperwork that the lawyer had placed in front of him before beating a hasty retreat to the other side of the desk. He read the offending parts of the contract that Marcus had helpfully highlighted for ease of perusal and then raised his head to speak.

What came from his lips though was a noise that could almost be described as a growl. His professional future had just spectacularly crashed down around him and he was beside himself with rage, his hands were shaking as they went up to his head, his fingers gripping handfuls of hair as he tried to control his emotions.

He stood up and walked towards the door and then turned to James and Marcus and spoke with as much venom as he could possibly insert into the words

"I hope the film bombs then you fucking assholes."

He strode towards the elevator which would take him away from this place and the two Judas's who had sold his soul for 30 pieces of silver. As he walked into the fortunately empty elevator, he shouted out loud

"FUCK THIS!"


	6. Chapter 6

Kate stood up from her sofa and walked towards the kitchen humming a familiar tune that Edward couldn't place. "Would you like a hot drink?" she called out, "Chocolate, Cocoa, Ovaltine?" Edward laughed quietly. He had totally forgotten about the existence of Ovaltine – he had drunk it when he was a child but had forgotten what it tasted like.

"No thanks" he said. "I do need the bathroom though." Kate came back into the living room and gestured for him to follow her. She led him into a bedroom that had its own small en suite bathroom. "If you want to stay over, you can crash here. If you look in the top drawer there are some spare clothes you are welcome to use and please help yourself to anything you find in the bathroom."

Edward looked at the bed which was a double and almost filled the room, only leaving enough space for a small wardrobe and a chest of drawers. The bathroom had its own toilet, basin and shower cubicle with a selection of towels on a rail over the radiator. On a shelf by the mirror was a new toothbrush still in its wrapper and one of those complimentary soaps everyone pinches from hotels. There was also an unused razor, shaving foam, deodorant and a hair brush.

On the back of the door was a man-sized bath robe and he spotted a pair of flip-flop style slippers on the floor near the bed. Edward opened the top drawer and found new packs of underwear, pyjama bottoms and t-shirts, which he thought was convenient – he must ask her why she kept a stock of new men's clothes without seeming rude.

He wandered back out into the lounge where Kate was straightening up the cushions on the sofa. He had completely lost track of time and looked around the room for a clock. "Do you know what time it is" he asked Kate who was now switching the lamps off.

"No" she answered. I don't have a watch or a clock – but I would guess it was well after midnight."

Kate stood by the door that was directly opposite Edward's room, that he presumed was her bedroom. "I'm going to bed now" she said. "If you want to leave I won't be offended, the keys are there." She pointed to the hall table. "I wake up early, but you can sleep in if you want – I won't disturb you."

Edward meant to say just "thank you" but then it suddenly occurred to him that this woman had invited a total stranger into her house and was now preparing to go to sleep, leaving herself vulnerable to robbery, attack, grand theft auto, just about anything.

"Why did you help me today Kate and how do you know you can trust me?" Edward asked in wonderment at her apparent lack of concern. He recalled feeling nervous about walking in her front door when they arrived, and he was a six feet one inch guy, but Kate seemed totally oblivious to what could be a dangerous situation.

"I'm a good judge of character" she said. "In my former life" she stopped mid-sentence and laughed and then reworded what she was going to say. "Before I got married and had my family I should have said, I was a Counsellor, helping people cope with confusion, loss and grief, and I saw the same signs of need in your face this afternoon that I had seen many times in my consulting room. I wanted to help you."

Edward thought about this revelation carefully. "Are you a Psychiatrist?" he said.

"No" she responded. "Psychiatrists treat mental illness. I was trained to listen and support people in crisis. Most of the time my clients already knew how to resolve their problems, they just needed help in making the decision to move on and improve their life."

Edward opened the door of his room and then turned to Kate who was just about to close her own door. "Goodnight and thank you for trusting me" he said.

Edward climbed into the bed and lay there looking at the ceiling. Considering the amount of alcohol he had consumed that evening, he was still thinking quite clearly. He spared a thought for James and Jane, who were probably in the process of convincing the Metropolitan Police to issue an APB to find him. James was a ruthless bastard and he would never forgive him for tying him into a legally watertight but iniquitous contract and consequently the three film series with TFD, but did he actually feel a shred of regret that he had dropped him in the shit this evening?

He imagined what the repercussions would be when eventually his whereabouts was discovered but he couldn't feel guilty for what he had done; he was only human and he just couldn't have taken any more crap or lie about his personal and professional life in front of a hundred or so journalists again. His integrity had been put on the line and he wasn't prepared to compromise himself anymore, just to keep a bunch of scheming assholes, who thought they controlled his life, rich.

He suddenly realised that the tune Kate had been humming was the Gene Kelly song 'Singing in the Rain.' It was only years later that the appropriateness of the song came to him in a flash, which caused him to laugh out loud, then fall silent when he remembered who had hummed it tonight and why.

Edward rolled onto his side and thought about Bella, where she was now and what she was thinking. He buried his head in his pillow and recounted the last time they had been together before all the shit happened**. **Now she thought he had betrayed her, big time, and he knew there was no going back to how it was before. He** c**urled up in a ball, gripping his knees to his chest, and a tear trickled down his cheek.

* * *

During the night Kate was disturbed by the sound of Edward calling from his room. She got up and crossed the corridor and listened by his bedroom door. He sounded distressed, shouting incoherently and it was impossible for her to make sense of any of his words. She pushed open his door and saw Edward thrashing around on the bed. The duvet was on the floor and the pillows were everywhere except for where they should be.

Kate walked over to the top of the bed and gently put her hands on his shoulders and made "shushing" noises close to his ear. After a few moments Edward calmed and he curled up into a foetal position and began to breathe steadily. Kate picked up the pillows and arranged them by his head and then pulled the duvet up so it was covering half his naked torso and his legs. She leant over him and brushed his hair from his face with her hand and then touched his forehead to check whether he was over-heated. When she was satisfied that all was well, she got up to leave; as she closed the door she heard Edward whisper "thank you".

* * *

Edward woke the next morning and for a brief moment wondered where the hell he was. Slowly the memories of yesterday returned to him and why he was now in this unfamiliar but very comfortable bedroom. He wandered into the bathroom and when he had completed the necessary, put on the bathrobe and made his way to the kitchen, curious to discover what this place looked like in the daylight.

Kate was nowhere to be seen and he couldn't hear any human noises coming from anywhere in the house. As he picked up the kettle and filled it at the kitchen sink, he looked through the window at the pretty garden that was now covered with dew and spotted Kate in the hen house seeing to the chickens. He was disappointed that the badger was nowhere to be seen and then he remembered, courtesy of David Attenborough, that they were nocturnal animals.

There was a wonderful aroma in the kitchen which was making his stomach rumble and he realised that he was actually very hungry. He guessed he would be having eggs for breakfast as Kate appeared in the kitchen just then with a basket full of eggs and a cheerful smile.

"Good morning!" she said when she came through the door, slipping off her wet shoes and putting on some ridiculously fluffy slippers. "I presume you're hungry?" Edward nodded and looked in the basket to see about eight very large eggs. "Boiled eggs and soldiers OK for you?" she said. Edward was convinced now that Kate must be telepathic as that was his absolute favourite breakfast. What was it about nursery food? Fish fingers, macaroni cheese, boiled eggs and soldiers.

Kate busied herself in front of the Aga and from his vantage point at the table Edward took the opportunity to look closely at the woman who had rescued him less than 24 hours ago.

From the back she could have been any age – she was about 5 feet 4 inches and quite small build. She was wearing denim shorts this morning and her legs looked toned and were quite brown. Her hair was sitting on her shoulders and was well cut and in good condition. She was slim but not thin, curvier on the hips than the top, toned but not athletic. When she turned around her face was impossible to date. His first impression yesterday in London was that she was about forty, but she could be more or even less. She had hinted last night that she had been married with a family, but there was no evidence of this in the house, other than a few pictures on the piano.

He soon discovered what the delicious smell was. Kate opened one of the doors of the Aga and pulled out a loaf of freshly baked bread. Edward's stomach started to do cartwheels and back-flips in anticipation – he didn't need to watch his weight but too much of a good thing would certainly have an impact on the body-beautiful, eventually.

Kate put the hot bread on the worktop to cool and put some eggs in a saucepan of water to boil. "Coffee or Tea" she asked as she put butter and marmalade on the table in front of Edward. "Coffee please" he said gratefully. Since giving up cigarettes, Edward had become addicted to coffee and couldn't function before his morning shot of caffeine.

After a breakfast of almost half a loaf of bread, two unbelievably tasty eggs, marmalade and lots of coffee, Edward showered and dressed himself in his own jeans plus a t-shirt from the drawer. He was feeling more relaxed now than he had in years – he felt lighter in mind and body and ready for the day.

When he went back in the kitchen, Kate picked two baskets up from beside the door and said "do you fancy going sort of shopping with me?"

"What do you mean, 'sort of shopping'?" Edward asked curiously.

"You'll see" she said, and threw a pair of men's boots at Edward. "You'll need these" she said with a mischievous smile.

Edward struggled to put the boots on but they fitted him quite well and then he followed her out of the kitchen door to the bottom of the garden where there was a wooden gate set into a low hedge. Kate handed him one of the baskets and said "we're going to be hunter-gatherers today – that means free food." Edward gave her a weird glance but dutifully walked behind her down a narrow path to the bank of a river that was flowing quite gently.

"What river is this?" he asked.

"It's a tributary of the Thames", she replied. "We're not far from Maidenhead in Berkshire and there are several small rivers and streams in this area that feed the Thames – I've forgotten which one this is."

Edward was satisfied with the answer as he had visited this area when he was a boy and he remembered camping here with the scouts when he was about thirteen. He looked across to the far bank and the fields rolling into the distance and was captivated by the view of the beautiful English countryside in all its glory.

From where he was standing he imagined he could see a hundred different shades of green in the trees and fields, but the summer was coming to an end and the leaves were showing their first hint of the reds and browns of autumn. He felt the gentle warmth on his face that was so different from the intense heat and humidity of LA that he had tried to tolerate but could never get used to. Since moving to California he had relished the mellowness of England in the summer whenever he was home and so he turned his face into the warm, life-giving rays of the same unforgiving sun that would later on that day be scorching the residents of LA.

He followed Kate towards a small copse of trees and she began searching the ground for 'goodness knows what' he thought. As she started filling her basket, Edward approached her to see what she had been collecting and saw she had already had a selection of nuts and berries, a weird looking green fruit that he didn't know the name of and some apples and pears. Edward looked around him and saw a blackberry bush nearby and headed towards it.

"Only pick the berries from the knee upwards" Kate shouted.

"Why?" Edward responded thinking Kate had gone raving mad.

"Because dogs pee on the lower ones" Kate replied and laughed.

"Jesus" Edward thought. "You learn something every day."

After about an hour of hunter-gathering, Kate and Edward walked up the side of a small hill and sat on the grass overlooking the tops of the trees to the river and fields beyond that were bathed in sunshine. Edward lay back on the grass and looked up at the sky which was Mediterranean blue dotted with the occasional white cloud. "This is a Disney sky" he said to Kate. She laughed because she knew exactly what he meant.

After a few minutes of blissful peace, Kate asked Edward whether the film had been a success.

"Oh yes" he replied. "It was a huge hit and I had to accept that I was contractually tied in to doing two more. The first premiere was hideous – Tanya insisted on holding my hand or linking arms all the way down the red carpet and since then she has pretended that we are 'romantically linked' to all the gossip magazines and internet websites. She just won't shut up."

Edward stuck his finger in his mouth and pretended for Kate's benefit that he was making himself sick. Kate gave him an exaggerated look of sympathy and then they both burst out laughing.

"You know this is the first time for ages I have laughed about this with anyone" Edward said, rubbing the dampness from his eyes. "He sat up and looked at Kate who was still giggling like crazy, marvelling how his attitude had changed in the last few hours from bitter resentment of the publicity machine associated with these films, to seeing the funny side of the gross intrusion into his personal life.

"The PR people have had my balls in their grasp for the last three years" he continued. "They were insistent that I kept the fact that I loathed Tanya completely under wraps because of the success of the films. If the fans knew I couldn't stand to be anywhere near her, it would have killed the series stone dead."

"It must have been very difficult for you?" Kate said sympathetically. "Did you have to socialise with her away from the studio?"

"No thank God" Edward replied. "The PR people wouldn't risk that as they knew how much she wound me up and they didn't want us being seen in public having a row, so we only met up on the set, but the media suspected we were an item in real life, which was fuelled by Tanya's 'accidentally on purpose' comments."

"Tell me what happened between making the first and third films. I've gathered that you eventually found Bella, so when did that happen?" Kate encouraged Edward to talk this time – she could sense that he was finding it easier to speak about the events leading up to his 'breakdown' yesterday, without getting so worked up and angry. She wanted him to relate his story sticking to a time-line and not jumping back and forward as some of her previous clients would do.

"I found Bella purely by chance" Edward said. "It was early last year and we were in New York for the premiere of the second film, plus I had arranged a meeting with a production company to talk about a small budget independent film that I wanted to do before filming number three. I had made a couple of other films in between one and two, a historical drama and a thriller, but this was different, with a director I really admired and who I was desperate to work with. The production company was just two guys and a couple of assistants and their offices were in Queens, so I had agreed to meet with them directly after the premiere."

Kate passed him one of the apples and a bottle of water she had brought from the house. Edward took a drink and lay down on his back again, gazing up at the blue sky, thinking of that day in New York when the itch came back.


	7. Chapter 7

The premiere was the usual boring marathon of posing for pictures and giving interview after interview to reporters asking the same generic questions. Edward had to appear on stage and then had to sit with Tanya during the film, but he managed to slip out of the theatre unnoticed about half way through, leaving Tanya to enjoy the after-party on her own. She had no problem being centre of attention and he was glad to let her have another moment of glory without him. The film was getting very good reviews and the producers were already talking about continuing the series after the third film, but Edward told them in no uncertain terms that he was not interested.

The next morning his driver took him to the office in Queens where he met Mike and Tyler of Empty Productions (M & T = Empty). They were great company and after a lengthy discussion about the film and the difficult job they were having getting financial backers to commit, they arranged to meet for dinner that evening in Edward's hotel. Mike said he would be bringing his assistant with him who was out of the office that day, if that was OK, and Edward said he had no problem with that.

Edward had conveniently forgotten to tell his agent of his plans for the evening as he wanted these first meetings to be about the film and not about money for a change. Edward was willing to make this film for a tenth of his usual fee, in fact if he had his way he would do it for nothing, and he wanted the deal virtually sealed before he needed to involve his agent.

Because he was more than three years into his five year contract, James was starting to ease up on Edward as he knew he would have the option to go elsewhere in two years. Edward therefore felt quietly confident that he would soon be allowed off James's leash to spend some of his own time making films that he was proud to be associated with, rather than the ones that paid the big bucks.

Edward dressed casually for the evening and went down to the restaurant where he was escorted to a private booth away from the main dining area. Tyler spotted him first and stood up to shake hands. He leaned over the table to do the same with Mike who was half up and half down and then turned to say hello to Mike's female assistant who was sitting with her arms folded on her lap.

"Edward, I would like to introduce you to my assistant B..."

"Bella!" he cried and put his hands flat on the table to steady himself. He couldn't believe that she was here in front of him, staring up at him with those eyes he wanted to dive into, but looking at him totally bewildered.

"Do you guys know each other?" Mike said in his New York accent. "This I've gotta hear." He sat down and took a long drink of his beer.

Edward also sat down before his legs gave way as he explained to Mike "I swept her off her feet, literally, would be the most interesting way of telling how we met, but the real story is I collided with her on a film set and ended up on the ground with her." He looked towards Bella for confirmation but she was looking down at her lap.

Mike and Tyler thought this was hysterical and only stopped laughing when the waiter came over with more drinks.

Bella had been quiet throughout and when Mike and Tyler were distracted by the waiter, she leant over to him. "How do you know my name?" she whispered almost accusingly. Edward was a bit taken aback by her tone of voice but put it down to embarrassment.

"I asked Paul, the Assistant Director, who you were after the accident, and he told me your name." (He didn't think this was the right time to admit to hiring a private investigator to track her down).

"So it was YOU that had me removed from the set then" she spat back at him with venom.

"Hey, hey – no that wasn't me" he said defensively. " I tried to find you; I wanted to apologise to you personally, to find out if you were OK."

Bella sat back in her chair as they realised that Mike and Tyler were looking at them with their mouths open wide.

"Just a misunderstanding" Edward said, trying to pass the incident off as a joke. "Let's order."

Bella looked down at the menu grim faced and ordered Penne with pesto and salad then stood up to go to the ladies room. After she had gone, Mike and Tyler shrugged their shoulders and said "PMS?"

The hundreds of scenarios that Edward had invented over the years of the different ways he would meet Bella again were disintegrating rapidly and he had to do something about it before the moment was lost. Edward interrupted Mike and Tyler, who he was beginning to suspect were partners in more ways than one, saying that he had to go to the bathroom as well, and walked off in the direction of the ladies room.

Edward waited by the doorway for Bella to appear and after a few minutes the door opened and she came out looking down at her bag trying to fasten the catch. He grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her behind a wall of very convenient tall plants and bent down to look at her directly in the eye.

"I-did-not-have-you-removed-from-the-set. On the contrary, I wanted to take you out to dinner to apologise." Bella huffed and said "OK I believe you – but who the fuck did?" she retorted. "I almost lost my place at college because of a stinking letter that was sent from the studio to my Professor, saying how unprofessional I had been, spreading rumours and gossip about the cast."

Edward let go of her arm and stood up straight. "I know who was behind removing you from the set but please believe me; I didn't know anything about a letter being sent to your college." He could feel the long-suppressed anger building up inside of him again. "Can we talk about this over dinner, not tonight with Mike and Tyler listening, but on our own?"

Edward realised he was holding his breath waiting for a response. Finally she said "OK – tomorrow night."

They walked together back to the table and were greeted with hoots and whistles from Mike who was now looking slightly the worse for wear.

"Careful Edward, Tanya's spies will be watching you and you'll have some explaining to do in the morning" he said.

Edward's eyes rolled up to heaven and, mainly for the benefit of Bella who listened with both amusement and horror, took great pleasure in putting Mike and Tyler firmly in the picture.

The evening went well from this point and he discovered that Bella had met Mike at her college in New York when he had lectured to the students about Production Companies and their role in starting the whole process of getting films onto the screen. Bella had impressed him with her knowledge of the industry and she had worked as an unpaid intern for Empty Productions during the summer recess. When she finished her degree and after a short time spent with a girlfriend travelling around Europe, she took up the post as Mike's assistant.

The reason why he had drawn a blank with the colleges in California when he was trying to track her down was now obvious, but he was interested as to why she was on the other side of the continent that summer and how she happened to be on the set at the same time as him.

"My uncle owns a small apartment in LA" she said "and I used it while I was doing my work experience at the studio which had been arranged through my college. My best friend Alice was at UCLA mastering in Architecture and Interior Design and I spent some time with her and some at the studio, until I was kicked out. I came straight back to New York after it happened and then spent the rest of the summer with my mother in Florida."

Listening to Bella's explanation, Edward realised that there must have been an elaborate conspiracy to keep him from contacting Bella. The studio must have had information about her if she was on work experience, including which college had introduced her. What had Tanya got against this girl and how did she have that much power?

It was getting late so Edward shook hands with Mike and Tyler then bent down to whisper in Bella's ear about the arrangements for tomorrow evening. He meant to shake her hand also but the urge to kiss her was too overwhelming and he gave her a soft but lingering peck on her forehead. Bella looked at him in surprise and then took his hand and squeezed it. When he opened his palm he saw that she had slipped in her business card. "Call me" she said and then she said "Goodnight" to Mike and Tyler. Edward walked with her to the lobby and made sure she was safely in a cab and returned to his room, floating on air and completely turned on!

He had a date with Bella.

He just about made it into the shower!

* * *

The next morning he called Bella's cell and arranged to pick her up at seven from her apartment which was in walking distance of her office in Queens. It looked as though it was a beautiful day outside but he stayed in his hotel room watching movies to avoid the risk of being spotted out and about on his own. James was still in New York but had meetings with other clients and he had no close friends in town to call on. Edward was actually grateful for the rest – he was still on LA time and the last three days had been very busy, never mind hardly sleeping a wink last night thinking about this evening's date with Bella.

At seven o'clock his driver pulled up outside a large three story house that had obviously been converted into apartments judging by the number of bell pushes by the front door. Edward had called Bella from the car and the door opened just as he arrived and she appeared on the doorstep and gave him a little wave. She was wearing skinny black jeans that fitted her perfectly and a long-sleeved sapphire blouse. Her flat shoes were also sapphire with black bows on the front and she was carrying a multi-coloured sparkly clutch bag. Her hair was in a pony tail that swished behind her as she lightly skipped down the stairs. She wasn't wearing any jewellery apart from a pair of tiny silver studs in her ears. She looked gorgeous he thought.

Edward jumped out of the car and said "Hi" and held the door open for her to climb in. "This is nice" she said, appreciating the comfort of the limo. It wasn't one of those pretentious stretch limos that were a nightmare to manoeuvre around the tight corners of the New York grid system; this was a classy Mercedes with deep, comfortable seats and room to accommodate Edward's long legs.

Bella settled herself in her seat and the car glided off in the direction of a small Italian restaurant that had been recommended by Tyler. They were shown to a table near the back of the restaurant and Edward helped Bella into her seat before sitting down himself. It was early for New York's normal night-life clientele and there were only a family of four and one other couple sitting in tables near the window. Edward was relieved that he was not recognised when he walked in, which could have ruined what he hoped would be an undisturbed evening with Bella.

The waiter poured Prosecco into champagne glasses and left them alone while they looked at the menu. Edward lifted his glass and gestured to Bella to do the same. He clinked their glasses together and said "To a new start?" Bella smiled and replied "well, hopefully it's not your intention to get me flat on my back again this time!" Edward's mouth dropped open at the innuendo and Bella burst out laughing at the look on his face which was priceless.

When Edward regained his composure as the carefully stored memory of Bella underneath him had flashed into his brain and his pants, he asked one of the questions that he had intended to ask her before. "Did I hurt you when we fell?"

Bella shook her head and said "No, not really. My shoulder blades and one elbow were a bit tender for a few days, but what really hurt was being banned from the studio. I didn't want to think it was you, because you offered to help me up and you smiled at me kindly, but I couldn't imagine who else it could be. It upset me for a long time; in fact I still don't think I've gotten over it. Injustice is a terrible thing and I felt like a victim. I know the film industry can sometimes be a cruel and heartless business, but I had done nothing to warrant the accusation, and it hurt, real bad."

Edward took her by her hand which was shaking slightly and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I know, I'm very sorry you suffered like this. Even though I had nothing to do with you being banned, or the letter to your college, I still feel partly responsible and I want to make amends."

Bella withdrew her hand quickly from his. "What do you mean you feel responsible?" Her attitude changed quickly and Edward knew then that under that soft exterior there was a lioness waiting to strike. Edward cleared his throat and took a large mouthful of wine and then told her the whole story of Tanya and her sexual advances to him, the stupidly irresponsible shoes, the account of the make-up artist, the showdown with TFD at the end of filming and the guilt that he felt afterwards.

"Why did you feel guilty?" Bella asked after he had finished talking. Their meals had arrived and Edward was swirling his fork around a plate of crab ravioli. "It had nothing to do with you – it was Tanya's insane jealousy that almost wrecked my career!" she said. "You shouldn't feel responsible."

Edward shook his head. "I should have told her the first time she propositioned me that I wasn't interested, instead I ignored her advances and she presumed I was being a 'bloke' and playing hard to get." Edward put his fork down and put both hands down on the table.

"I was too inhibited at the time to tell her outright that I was never, ever going to be in a relationship with her. I needed the film to go well, it was a huge stepping stone for my career and I was a bit intimidated with her power as an established A-Lister. The last thing I wanted was a pissed leading lady! 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' is the saying, and I was just trying to survive the next five weeks."

Edward ran his hands through his hair and Bella noticed that a vein in his forehead had appeared and it was obvious that he was extremely wound-up.

"If I'd have known about the three film deal in my contract, I would have told her without hesitation that she had as much sex appeal as a Barbie Doll and to go look for someone named Ken so they could make plastic babies together." Bella laughed but Edward was serious. "She would have hated me so much that she probably would have refused to work with me again, which may have wrecked my career, but at least it would have preserved my integrity. Instead I've been forced to work with the bitch for years, pretend to like her, have to touch and kiss her on screen, all to keep the PR moguls and our agents' content."

This time Bella placed her hands across the table to take his clenched ones and held them until she felt him relax. "I'm glad you found me" she said quietly. "I can put this behind me now, even though I am itching to get some revenge."

Edward shook his head ruefully but then a slow smirk spread across his face as a plan suddenly started to form in his brain. "What are you doing this weekend?" he asked while searching in his pockets for his cell phone. Bella let go of his hand and said "Nothing important, why?"

"You are now – you're going to London, with me, as my date for the British premiere after-party!" Before Bella had a chance to agree or otherwise, Edward had pushed a button on his phone and got straight through to James's office in LA. After a brief conversation with James's PA, she agreed to book an extra flight and a room for Edward's 'friend' leaving on Thursday and returning on Sunday.

Edward sat back in his chair and lifted up his glass. Bella stared at him for a moment, totally speechless and then she lifted up her own glass, smiled and said "Revenge is a dish best served cold, I think is another saying." They clinked glasses again and ordered another bottle of Prosecco.


	8. Chapter 8

Kate stood up, brushed the grass off her shorts and picked up her basket. "Come on" she said, "Lets walk back."

Edward got up and followed her down the hill to the riverbank and they wandered slowly along the well-worn towpath. It was a perfect day for walking and Edward was surprised they hadn't seen a soul since coming out this morning as this part of the river was so pretty. Kate stopped in front of him and pointed to a branch that was almost touching the surface of the water. Edward's eye followed the direction of her finger and he spotted a Kingfisher sitting on the branch, absolutely still, waiting for a fish to unsuspectingly swim underneath him. They waited for a few minutes, but the bird flew off to try his luck elsewhere.

Edward opened the gate in the hedge for Kate to go through and after walking through the beautiful garden and pulling his boots off on the patio, he was pleased to be indoors in the cool kitchen away from the afternoon heat. Kate put the baskets in the pantry and came out with a large covered jug. Taking two glasses off the shelf, she filled them up and set one down in front of Edward. "Apple Juice" she said. "I make it myself, better and healthier for you than Cola!"

Edward took a sip and it was delicious and refreshing. Kate disappeared back into the pantry and returned with the remainder of the loaf of bread that Edward had devoured at breakfast, a block of cheese and a jar of honey. "Sweet or savoury?" she asked. "Both" was the reply. So Kate brought everything over to the kitchen table and together they made cheese and homemade pickle sandwiches with bread and honey to follow.

Kate looked at Edward who was leaning back in his chair making the face of someone who is absolutely stuffed. She grinned and said "By the way I'm a vegetarian – I hope you're not expecting steak and chips tonight."

"So is ... So was Bella" he said. "I didn't realise this until we got to London."

Edward recalled their first night in London which was the night before the premiere, when they went for a walk along the South Bank and Edward had bought her a Hot Dog while she was taking photos of the London Eye. "I had to eat both of them" he laughed.

"What happened at the premiere then" Kate asked. "Did Tanya see Bella?"

Edward poured himself some more apple juice and launched into recounting the events of the 'Revenge is Sweet' weekend that was the beginning of the path to disaster.

* * *

Edward and Bella had arranged to meet in the First Class lounge of JFK for their flight to London. Edward was surrounded by photographers as soon as he got out of his car and was fast-tracked through the terminal by airport security. Bella arrived in a courtesy car, compliments of the airline because she was travelling first class, and was guided to the check-in ("no queue – wonderful") she thought, and then escorted to where Edward was hopefully waiting.

Edward was watching the door for Bella to appear, like a dog waiting for its mistress. He hadn't seen Bella since their meal in the Italian restaurant when, after their shaky start, the date had descended into a boozy evening with the two of them drunkenly plotting various diabolical plans to thwart Tanya's desire for Edward's body. He had arranged for his driver to pick them up from the restaurant, which was fortunate as they had consumed three bottles of Prosecco between them plus a very large brandy nightcap apiece.

He recalled the journey home that evening. Slumped together on the back seat of the car on the way to Bella's apartment, Bella had leaned her head against his shoulder and rested her hand on his leg. He was itching to kiss her and the devil inside him was urging him to launch himself at her, but the English gentleman won through, and when they arrived at her home he gallantly helped her out of the car and walked her to the door.

He watched in amusement as she made several attempts to line the key up with the hole in the door and when she eventually succeeded, he helped her negotiate the last step into the hallway.

Edward put his hand on the back of her head and kissed her tenderly on her forehead. "Thank you for a wonderful evening" he said and pulled her body slightly towards him so that their chests touched.

Bella looked up and giggled. "Has anyone ever told you, you are re-al-ly handsome?" she slurred. She then kissed the tips of two of her fingers and put them up to Edward's face, touching his lips. "I really am very, very drunk."

Edward was debating whether to try and find out which apartment was Bella's, when a tiny girl with black spiky hair and dressed like a 1970's punk rocker appeared out of a door to his right. "I'll take it from here" she squealed and flinging one of Bella's arms over her shoulder, manoeuvred her through the doorway and dropped her onto a sofa that was covered in throws and a million cushions.

"Thank you err..."

"Alice" she chirped and then went into their tiny kitchen and filled up a large glass with water from the fridge. "Drink!" she ordered and held the glass to Bella's lips.

Edward thought this was a good time to leave so he thanked Alice again for looking after her and made his way out to the waiting car. On the way back to his hotel a million thoughts and scenarios were pouring through his brain. He was trying to get his head around the fact that just two days ago Bella was a precious memory, an unattainable dream, and tonight she had agreed, while she was still sober, to go to London with him. He would have her to himself for four precious days.

* * *

If he had a tail it would have been wagging furiously when Bella finally appeared in the lounge. She spotted him immediately and smiled in relief that Edward was there before her.

He wanted to run over and kiss her but he knew the eyes of James and his assistants would be watching him intently, so he walked slowly over to Bella and shook her by the hand. Apart from the innocent kiss on Bella's forehead in the restaurant in front of Mike and Tyler, and the slightly more meaningful kiss and hug in her apartment, Edward hadn't given Bella any reason to believe he was romantically interested in her - yet.

In the restaurant they had concocted a story to dampen any curiosity from Edward's entourage as to the status of his 'friend'. He led her over to where James and his assistants were propping up the bar and Edward introduced her to the group as 'Isabella', to quash any association with the 'Bella' of two years ago. The ploy seemed to have worked as James didn't raise an eyebrow at her name when he shook her hand; his eyes were firmly fixed on her chest.

"So you work for a production company, do you Isabella?" James said in a condescending manner to the already irritated Bella. "First trip to London for you?"

"Actually no James, I did some travelling in Europe after college, but this is the first working trip I have made on behalf of my company" Bella replied to the now totally disinterested James. Her chest was obviously not impressive enough for more than a cursory glance.

Edward took her arm and guided her over to one of the sumptuous leather chairs and signalled a waiter for service. He ordered two champagne cocktails and a selection of 'nibbles.' Bella had been looking forward to the VIP treatment and Edward was determined to make sure her first experience of 'first class' was going to be memorable.

"Ignore James, he can be an arrogant shit sometimes" Edward said. "Fortunately you're not blonde with big tits or he would have been all over you like a rash." Bella giggled and thanked God for being a brunette with small boobs.

"Is James married?" she asked, wondering whether his wife was in the group that was at the bar with him. Edward stifled a laugh and said "Yes, he's officially married, I mean he has a wife, but if I was a betting man I would put money on Rosalie already banging her latest conquest, before James has had a chance to leave the country."

Bella looked at him carefully – she had picked up something in his voice that rang an alarm bell somewhere in her sub-conscious. "Oh!" she said when the penny dropped like a stone.

Edward took a sip of his cocktail and leaned back, watching James holding court from his bar stool. "Nothing happened" he said, shaking his head at the memory. "Rosalie tried everything to get me into her bed – she even threatened to tell James I HAD slept with her, but I called her bluff and told her to go ahead. She eventually accepted that I wasn't the sort of person who would screw his boss or his wife!"

"God, that's awful" Bella said sympathetically. "Does James have any idea what she's like?"

"Oh yes" he replied with a laugh. "James will screw anything with big tits and less than ten brain cells. They're as bad as one another. He doesn't care what Rosalie does, as long as she looks good at premieres and doesn't get pregnant."

Bella thought it was time to change the subject and asked Edward what the plan was for the weekend. She knew that she had to keep a low profile until after the red carpet premiere in Leicester Square, but she was in the dark about what he had arranged for the rest of that evening and the following day.

"Wait and see" was Edward's intriguingly smug response and she was unable to wheedle any more information from him during the long flight to Heathrow.

They split up again when they went through the airport. The photographers were waiting for Edward as usual and he was taunted mercilessly as he ran the gauntlet to his car. James accompanied him on the drive to their hotel and Bella followed in a car with two of the assistants.

Bella checked in and was shown to a lovely single room with a beautiful bathroom and a view over a small park. She opened her case and pulled out the dress that she had bought for the premiere. Alice had taken on the role of 'fashion guru' with gusto and had dragged Bella in and out of every shop in Manhattan it seemed before she found the 'perfect one.' Bella had to admit that Alice had a fantastic eye for clothes, even though she dressed almost completely in black herself, apart from her underwear which was usually either shocking pink or electric blue.

Bella thought back to her childhood and the day she met Alice in the school canteen. Bella had been forced to change school when her father had been promoted and made Chief of Police in Forks, Washington and they had moved there when Bella was fifteen. Alice had pounced on her as she was buying her lunch and said immediately they were going to be 'best friends' and they were. They had lived in each other's pockets until they graduated high school and the time came for Alice to go to UCLA to study design and Bella to move to the East Coast to attend the New York Film Academy.

As soon as Alice got her degree, she was on the first flight to New York and they had continued their close friendship where they left off. They were two sides of the same coin – Bella being the cautious, conservative type with very little experience of men and Alice being the total opposite, bright, gregarious with a list of male conquests as long as your arm. Right now, Bella wished Alice was here to hold her hand and give her some words of reassurance and encouragement, and more importantly some advice, as her feelings for Edward made her apprehensive when thinking about where this weekend could be heading.

Edward's suite was enormous compared to Bella's and he looked longingly at the invitingly large king-size bed. "If only" he thought, but he wanted to do this right, he was going to court Bella and treat her respectfully, even though he was desperate to take her in his arms and rip her clothes off. He used the hotel telephone and asked to be connected to Miss Swan's room. After a few seconds she picked up and said "Hello."

"Where are you? What room are you in?" Edward whispered as though he was asking her to divulge a bit of top secret information.

"I'm on the third floor – room 307" she said. "My room is lovely – thank you. Where are you?"

"In one of the suites on the top floor – it's massive" he said. "Care to come and take a look?"

"I don't think that would be a good idea at the moment" Bella giggled. "Do you know where TFD is?"

"Don't know, don't care. Hopefully the immigration officers have stopped her entering the country on the grounds of being an undesirable."

Bella laughed and said "Will I see you at dinner, I'm not sure what I'm meant to be doing?"

Edward had told her on the plane that James had hired one of the reception rooms in the hotel and they would be having an early dinner with quite a large group of people, some of whom were connected to the film. Tanya and her agent were hosting their own reception in a venue across town, so there was no danger of them meeting this evening. Edward said she would probably not be on his table but they would be able to mingle together before and after the meal.

Edward showered and then dressed for the evening in a dark navy Gucci suit and an open neck shirt – smart but not too formal. He hated dressing up, preferring jeans and t-shirts, but this was part of the job and he knew that the other guests this evening would have made a similar effort.

He had been tempted to collect Bella from her room, but thought this was probably not a good idea at this stage so they decided to meet downstairs. He walked into the reception, which was already full of their guests, and all eyes turned in his direction. He wasn't vain, but he knew he looked good and that most of the men there wanted to be him; the women just wanted him, full stop, and he watched with wry amusement as their posture changed when they saw him, their eyes widened and their eyelashes fluttered rapidly.

He was used to this type of reaction now – at first he had found such blatant sexual attention awkward and embarrassing, as quite often the women were on a mission to recruit him as their next toy-boy. He had learned over time to handle their advances with tact and good humour, leaving the women feeling that he was regretful that he was not in a position to respond to their invitations unfortunately. The only up-side of his 'supposed relationship' with Tanya was that most of these women actually believed the bullshit websites that perpetuated the myth, so now they looked but didn't touch.

James walked over to his Golden Boy and thrust a glass of champagne in his hand. "Work the room" he said, never missing the opportunity to push his agency's name to the fore via his protégé.

Edward dutifully went from group to group, smiling and pretending to be interested in the small talk. He had been anxiously watching the door for Bella but there was no sign of her yet and they would soon be sitting down for dinner. He was walking over to the bar to get another drink when he felt her presence behind him as he noticed eyes, mainly male eyes, turning towards the direction of the entrance. She stood on the threshold of the room looking absolutely lovely but very intimidated, and as she spotted him he noticed her shoulders relaxing as soon as their eyes met across the crowded floor.

He walked quickly over to her with a glass of champagne to help her calm her nerves. She was wearing a simple but elegant silk cocktail dress in a beautiful shade of green with black pumps and matching bag. Her only jewellery was a pair of dainty drop earrings that matched the colour of her dress and probably cost about twenty bucks, but in Edward's eyes she looked like a million dollars compared to the over made-up, over-dressed, bejewelled women who he noticed were all turning their eyes to look at this girl, wondering who she was and why she was commandeering so much of Edward's attention.

Edward introduced Bella to Sam and Emily who ran a small production company based in London. They had produced the first film where Edward's name actually appeared in the credits and they had remained in contact with him ever since. Bella was seated next to Emily at dinner and she was thoroughly entertained, hearing anecdotes about Edward when he was eighteen.

After dinner, Edward casually wandered over to Bella's table and when no-one was in earshot, he leaned over and whispered "if you fancy getting out of here, go up to your room and get your jacket and meet me in the lobby in ten."

Bella didn't need to be asked twice. After Edward had left the table, she got up and said goodnight to Emily and Sam and the other guests, pleading jet-lag, and promised to keep in touch with Emily by e-mail. She made her way up to her room and after a quick trip to the bathroom for the necessary and to freshen her make-up, she grabbed her coat and made her way down to the lobby where Edward was waiting to take her out into the London night.


	9. Chapter 9

They jumped into a taxi and Edward asked the driver to drop them off on the South Bank, as near as possible to the London Eye and they settled back to enjoy the short trip over Westminster Bridge where there was a wonderful view of the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben and then round to the back of the old County Hall building. It was only a short walk to the Eye and after buying tickets, they queued up with a crowd of tourists of all nationalities, who fortunately were completely oblivious to who was standing next to them. The wait to get in one of the pods at this time of night was only about ten minutes but it had started to get cold, so Bella huddled up against Edward, who took full advantage and tucked her inside his coat with his arms around her to keep her warm.

As the magnificent wheel travelled slowly on its journey upwards, Bella clung on to the handrail like a limpet and gazed out in wonder over the twinkling lights of the London skyline. Bella had omitted to point out to Edward that she was terrified of heights and she didn't dare move from her spot throughout the whole twenty minute flight. Edward pointed out famous landmarks like St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and other ancient monuments, beautifully lit up at night and holding their own against the sparkling new monoliths like the Gherkin. The view down the river was breathtaking and Edward told her that when he was a boy his family lived close to the river and he used to love sitting on the bank watching the world go by.

After their trip and while Bella was taking photographs of the Eye with her phone, Edward disappeared for a moment and returned triumphantly with two massive hot dogs covered in mustard AND ketchup. This was when Bella admitted to him that she was a vegetarian and was still full up after dinner. Edward unashamedly devoured both hot dogs by himself, pleading hunger due to not eating much earlier as he was talking to his guests. Bella snapped away with her camera and got some great shots of Edward with his mouth full of hotdog and ketchup all over his face.

They walked along the South Bank towards the National Theatre, weaving their way through native Londoners and tourists from every corner of the planet who had decided, like them, to enjoy an evening stroll in this lovely part of the city. The wide walkway was decorated with trees covered in sparkling white lights which reflected on the river alongside them and here and there street entertainers kept the crowds amused, performing for money thrown into a hat; Edward and Bella stopped to listen to a talented classical guitarist playing Rodrigo's famous Concerto, their arms wrapped around each other for warmth. On a clear, chilly London evening, under the stars and the fairy lights, listening to sublime music, it was a magical moment for the two of them and Edward pulled Bella closer to him while they savoured the experience.

They walked as far as the Oxo Tower and stopped by the river wall to look at the view of the old part of the city on the opposite bank. Bella shivered and Edward beckoned her to come and huddle up close again. She wrapped her arms around his waist and he wrapped his coat around her back like a cocoon. He bent down and kissed the top of her head and she hugged him just that little bit tighter.

Edward ran his fingers through her hair and then cupped his hand under her chin and lifted it, so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "Can I kiss you?" he said and watched for her reaction to his proposition. Bella nodded her head and closed her eyes, lifting her face to his as he bent down and gently touched his lips to hers. Her mouth was soft and inviting and he lingered for a few seconds before pulling away and whispering "you are so beautiful."

Bella moved her arms from around his waist and slid her hands up his chest and then wrapped them around the back of his neck, pushing her fingers into his hair and guiding his face towards hers. She kissed Edward back with passion, softly sucking on his bottom lip and then parting her lips allowing his tongue to enter and explore her mouth. Two years of want and emotion were poured into the kisses that followed and he held her tightly to him, oblivious to the world around him as his long hoped for wish came true and his dream became a reality.

When they finally took a breath, Edward looked into her eyes and saw that her face was damp with tears, but he didn't know whether they were his or hers. "I've wanted to kiss you since the moment I met you" he said and then he kissed her gently on the corner of her mouth. "I never ever thought I would see you again, you've been on my mind every moment of every day since we met" and he kissed the other corner.

Bella looked at him in astonishment and put her arms back around his waist. "I felt the same after I met you that day, I felt an instant connection, but at least I knew through the media where you were and what you were doing, but I didn't think you would ever remember me." She laid her head on his chest and sighed. "I've followed every moment of your career but I always believed you were with Tanya. I tried to get you out of my mind but seeing your face everywhere just turned the knife in my heart a little bit more."

Edward turned her face up to look at him again. "Did you have the same feelings as me straight away?" he said in disbelief.

Bella nodded. "When you touched me that day, it felt like lightening running through my veins, like someone had turned a switch and my reason for existing had just become crystal clear. I had never had a feeling like that before with anyone, and haven't since."

Edward kissed her passionately again and then pulled her body into his as tightly as he could. "Shall we go back to the hotel?" he suggested, now feeling desperate to be somewhere more private, and without waiting for her answer, he guided Bella onto the street behind the Oxo Tower, where they picked up a taxi.

No words needed to be spoken in the cab. They both knew where the evening was heading and their hands gripped each other's tightly as they sped towards the hotel.

Their taxi pulled up outside the hotel entrance and Edward paid the driver after he had helped Bella out.

As they were approaching the doorway, a man Edward recognised as one of the Reception guests staggered drunkenly out of the revolving doors and advanced towards him.

"Hey Edward, where the fuck did you disappear to?" he slurred, leering at Bella and then grabbing onto Edward's arm to steady himself.

"My friend Isabella is over from New York, I've just being showing her some of the sights" he explained. "You're pissed by the way Ben" he added, pointing out the obvious.

"I'm not the only one who's pissed" Ben said. "Tanya is waiting for you in the bar, she said you promised to join her Reception this evening after dinner and you didn't show – she is seriously fucking angry." Ben laughed and lurched forward, almost falling onto Edward who put his hands up to stop him.

"Oh shit, I did" he said, remembering a conversation he had with Tanya's agent several weeks ago. He helped Ben down the steps and deposited him in a waiting taxi, giving the driver a handful of notes and the name of Ben's hotel. He walked back up the steps to Bella who was shivering in the cold.

"Go up to your room Bella – I'm going to have to deal with this now" he said. "It might take a while, so I'll see you in the morning."

Bella went to say something, but she thought better of it but the look of disappointment on her face was plainly evident.

"I'm sorry Bella" he said. "I'm so sorry that TFD has once again ruined a perfect moment, I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Bella smiled at him reassuringly and whispered "Goodnight and Good Luck" and walked into the hotel on her own and after picking up a message at the front desk, entered the elevator that would take her to her solitary room.

Edward waited outside for a few minutes, just in case Tanya's spies were on lookout duty in the lobby to make sure he didn't bypass the wrath of the furious harpy who was propping up the hotel bar. When he calculated that Bella would be safely in the elevator, he strolled into the hotel and headed to the bar just in time to see Tanya knocking back the latest in a long line of cocktails that she had obviously consumed that evening. She looked seriously pissed, in more ways than one.

"Whiskey please" he said to the amused barman who had more than likely had the whole story from Tanya and was eagerly anticipating the showdown. "And whatever the 'lady' is having" Edward hesitated before he said the word 'lady' and the barman tried unsuccessfully to disguise a smirk.

"Whiskey and a Manhattan then, coming up Sir" he said and disappeared to the other end of the bar, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Tanya heard Edward's voice and turned to look at him with venom coming out of every pore. "You fucking bastard" she said. "You didn't fucking show – where the fuck were you and who were you with?"

Edward took a deep breath to control his anger and without looking at her said "to be totally honest, I forgot about tonight, I was distracted!"

"Forgot!" she hissed. "What was so monumentally fucking important tonight that made you disappear off the face of the earth for three fucking hours? You didn't even tell James where you were going."

Edward turned to look at her and was disgusted to see the state of the women in front of him. She was 27 years old, beautiful in some people's eyes, but at this moment she was abusive, drunk and dishevelled and so far from the persona that was portrayed by the media, to be unrecognisable.

Edward leaned into her so that he was close to her face. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I'm a Londoner in my home town and I had the chance to spend some time with a friend and I didn't need James's permission to do that – that's it, the whole story, finished."

"A friend" she spat. "Male or female might I ask?"

"That's none of your fucking business" he retorted. "Now drink up, get to bed, or you're going to look like shit at the premiere tomorrow and there won't be a make-up artist on the planet who will be able to disguise the bags under your eyes."

With that, he downed his drink in one gulp, charged it to Tanya's room, got up from the bar and left.

He was tempted to knock on room 307 but he was now so wound up that he knew if he did, his first night with Bella would be less than perfect and she deserved perfection. He had waited so long for her, one more night wouldn't hurt. Not only that, he needed to be alert and on his best behaviour tomorrow, so a night of unbridled passion would not be ideal in the circumstances.

As he stepped out of the elevator and walked to his suite, he cursed the day he had signed the contract for the first film and vowed to make absolutely certain that he would not sign anything without a lawyer present in future. He had one more film to make and one more round of premieres, and then he could turn his back on the series and Tanya Fucking Denali for the rest of his life.


	10. Chapter 10

Edward's morning and early afternoon were spent giving interviews for magazines, television and radio and so apart from a brief chat on the telephone in the morning when Edward recounted the confrontation in the bar to Bella, they had not seen or spoken to one another all day. Bella took advantage of the spa facilities in the hotel and had a swim, massage and facial, followed by a manicure and pedicure. After a quick trip to the in-house hair salon where her hair was washed and curled so that it fell like a wave down her back, she returned to her room for a power-nap to set herself up for the long evening ahead.

Bella dressed in the gown Alice had picked out for her and as she looked back at herself in the full length mirror on the wall, she felt like Cinderella getting ready for the ball. Her knees felt slightly week at the thought of what was maybe going to happen after the party, as she slipped on the glass slippers, sorry the pair of Jimmy Choo's that were Alice's, but matched her dress perfectly.

A few days ago she was a lowly production assistant working in non-descript offices in Queens, admittedly in a glamorous industry, but actually there was not that much glamour attached to her job. Now, because of a freak accident two years ago followed by a chance meeting in a New York hotel, she was dressed in a beautiful strapless sapphire-blue gown, her favourite colour, she was in London, on her way to a film premiere, after which she was very much hoping that the superstar fuck-hot leading actor would whisk her away from the after-show party, take her up to his penthouse suite and make love to her all night long. That didn't happen to Cinderella!

It had been arranged for Bella to be escorted to the premiere by one of Edward's invited guests, as Edward and Tanya would be travelling together. When the time came for her to leave, she picked up her wrap and bag and made her way to Reception where Edward's friend Jasper was waiting for her. As she walked out of the elevator, she heard a whistle of approval and saw a tall and handsome blonde haired man with sparkling eyes getting up from one of the comfy armchairs dotted around the reception area.

"Miss Swan I presume" said the man, bowing gallantly in front of her and talking hold of the hand that was not carrying her bag.

"Mr Whitlock I presume" Bella said, curtseying and fluttering her eyelashes like a Southern Belle.

Jasper laughed and looked at Bella approvingly. "I think Tanya might have a bit of competition tonight for Edward's affections" he said, knowingly and gave Bella a wink. "I know who I've got my money on."

Bella appreciated the compliment which helped ease her nerves and she was glad that she was going to be in Jasper's company this evening. Edward had told her on the plane that he had met Jasper at a local drama club and they had been close friends ever since. When he had walked out of home just after his eighteenth birthday, he had slept on Jasper's mother's sofa for a while when he was between acting jobs.

Jasper had not pursued acting, but had become a teacher, performing in front of classes of unruly and disinterested children in an Inner-City school every day for a fraction of Edward's salary, but they had remained close even though they were now from opposite sides of the world, in both location and lifestyle. Jasper was the brother he never had and as he was not on speaking terms with his parents, he considered him to be the only family he had left and his only really true friend.

"Your carriage awaits" Jasper said, carrying on with the over-the-top performance. They walked out of the hotel to their car, knowing that they were receiving admiring glances from both staff and guests and Bella suddenly felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.

They arrived at the premiere before the main guests and were escorted into a reception area inside the theatre where drinks were being served. Bella spotted Sam and Emily and introduced them to Jasper and they chatted while they waited for the arrival of the stars of the film.

They were hearing reports of what was going on outside in Leicester Square as there were a few thousand people out there crushed onto the pavements to catch a glimpse of Edward and Tanya, but it was obvious to those inside when the two stars arrived as they could easily hear the yells and screams from the crowd, even above the music that was being played in the bar.

Bella could visualise Edward being thrust from one microphone to another, giving interviews to all and sundry and trying to compete against the noise of the frantic crowd. It was planned that the stars would spend about an hour giving interviews and meeting fans, but after about half an hour Tanya appeared at the Reception demanding champagne.

Bella made sure she kept her back to Tanya at all times and Jasper helpfully put his arm around her waist to fend off some interested males who had been hovering around. The lesser guests were eventually invited to take their places in the auditorium and Jasper led Bella to their seats about ten rows from the front.

Bang on cue, the lights came up on the stage and Edward, Tanya plus some of the other cast members, the Director and two producers, came on stage to greet the audience and receive their applause. Bella was instantly aware of the lust emanating from the predominately female audience who almost as one gasped when Edward appeared in his Gucci tuxedo, a slight stubble dusting his chiselled jaw line and the sexiest smile that was like a laser beam, melting the heart and underwear of every person without a Y chromosome in the vicinity. Tanya had linked her arm through Edward's but he was totally ignoring her, as he was staring directly into the crowd, seeking out Bella's face. When their eyes met, he smiled broadly and nodded to her and to Jasper.

The Director introduced the film and Edward also spoke, hoping that the audience enjoyed the film, but to clap anyway if they didn't at the end. This caused a good-hearted laugh and then the stage emptied and the film began.

Bella had seen all of Edward's films, even the ones where he only had a few scenes. Alice had gone with her to see the first one in this series, just to see whether they had used any of the footage that Bella was in, but they hadn't. Bella had enjoyed the first film though as there was nothing not to like. It was a family-friendly romp that wouldn't offend anyone. She thought at the time that Edward would be suited to more dramatic and demanding roles and hoped he wouldn't become type-cast to this genre of film.

Edward and Tanya were playing Bonnie and Clyde type partners, but they were con-artists not bank robbers. They would target a gang of criminals who had stolen money or valuables from vulnerable, unsuspecting people and then, using the criminals own greed against them, would con them out of everything that they had stolen and then give it back to the victims. They would pocket anything extra they had obtained for themselves so that they could fund their elaborate lifestyle, and then they would drive off into the sunset looking for the next con.

The stories were modelled on a British television series called Hustle that had been an enormous hit around the world, coupled with ideas blatantly stolen from The 'A' Team. The scripts had been written for two hour big screen 'episodes' and instead of the cons taking place in London like the original, their escapades took place in locations around North America and the Caribbean islands, or green screens if you were in the know.

Edward and Tanya were portrayed as lovers in the series and as Bella watched with revulsion as Edward gave Tanya a passionate kiss and a quick fumble on screen, thanking the Lord God Almighty that this was an NC13 film so they couldn't take it much further, Jasper leaned over and whispered in her ear "Edward deserves a fucking Oscar for making that look believable." Bella giggled imagining Edward going back to his trailer to shower and gargle for a week after having to do that.

The film received an enthusiastic response and Edward and Tanya stood up to receive the applause from the audience. There had been lots of ooh's and aah's and laughs in all the right places and the film looked good, even though it would never win an Oscar for its script.

After the main guests had left the theatre, Bella linked her arm in Jasper's and they made their way out to the line of waiting cars that would take them to the after-show party. Jasper had been sworn to secrecy as to where the location was, so Bella was quite excited to find out where they were going. Edward and Tanya had been in the first group of cars to leave and it was quite a long wait until their car appeared to whisk them to the venue.

Bella's knowledge of London was very limited but she caught on quickly that they were heading towards the old part of the City, away from the West End. They were being driven alongside the solid walls of the Tower of London when she saw the world famous view of Tower Bridge ahead of her but this time in real life rather than on a postcard. They drove onto the bridge and Bella looked up at the massive suspension cables holding up the roadway that stretched across the Thames to the South Bank. She was expecting their car to drive over the bridge, but it pulled over and stopped beside one of the beautifully lit towers and almost immediately, liveried staff were waiting to help them from their cars and escort them to the elevators that would take them up to the glittering walkways, high above the road and the river below.

The venue was sensational. Small tables covered with white tablecloths were dotted at various points down the narrow enclosed walkways creating a slalom for the guests to negotiate. The tables were overflowing with canapés and other delicious looking morsels and waiters were distributing glasses of champagne or soft drinks from silver trays to the guests, the majority of whom were transfixed at the amazing view of London to be had from this spectacular and rarely available vantage point.

Bella was trying to spot Edward over the top of the much taller heads that were surrounding her, but she guessed he was at the far end of the walkway where there seemed to be the densest collection of people. She knew she needed to be patient and allowed herself a satisfied smirk at the thought that at the end of the evening she was going to have him all to herself! She felt her muscles clench in places where she hadn't realised she had muscles and knew that her body was anticipating the intimacy of his touch and the feel of him inside her. Her knees wobbled slightly and she clutched Jasper on the arm to steady herself.

Jasper glanced down at her and noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed. "Are you ok?" he asked feeling concerned. Bella nodded "I'm fine Jasper – not too good with heights." She put her glass down on a table and whispered that she needed to find the ladies room to freshen up. Jasper spotted a sign by the elevator so Bella headed off in that direction on her own.

There were two other ladies in the restroom when she got there and they smiled pleasantly at her before she disappeared into one of the stalls. She heard them leave and then was aware that the external door had opened again and two, maybe three younger-sounding women had come in and were reapplying their make-up.

"Tanya is going to go ape-shit when she finds out" one of the anonymous girls said to the other. "You can tell it's him in the photograph, all you can see is a guy that is DEFINITELY Edward with his tongue down the throat of some lucky girl."

There was a ripple of laughter then silence when lipstick or mascara was being applied and full concentration was required.

Who the hell is she?" one of the other girls asked.

Bella was listening intently from her stall, wondering what photo they had seen, where it had been taken and more importantly, whether it was her.

As if the girl who was obviously in the know was reading her thoughts, she answered Bella's question.

"I don't fucking know – an American tourist took the picture of a random couple kissing on the South Bank last night as she thought it was romantic, you know, couple kissing, St Paul's Cathedral in the background, a bit like the Sailor in New York. It was only when she looked at the picture closely today that she realised it was EDWARD CULLEN and posted the picture on Twitter with the tag #wherethefuckistanyahaha."

Bella clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself from shrieking. The girls were laughing in anticipation of the fall-out from this and were hoping that it would happen this evening, as the bust-up would certainly be worth hanging around for.

Bella waited until she was convinced they were gone and then ventured cautiously out of the stall to make absolutely certain that the coast was clear just in case she was recognised. She looked in the mirror at her shocked face and then turned on the tap, feeling the sudden urge to put her head under water to cleanse her brain of the probability that all hell may be breaking loose on the other side of the door at this very moment.

She dried her hands and cracked the restroom door open to listen to the tone of the general chit-chat of the guests and thankfully heard no raised voices, yet, so she slipped out into the crowd with her head down, on a mission to find Jasper and ask him to take her back to the hotel pretty damn quick.

She saw his fair hair poking above the crowd and squeezed herself through the crush to get to him. "Get me out of here – fast" she said to the bewildered young man and grabbed his hand and started heading towards the exit, just as Edward appeared in front of her, stopping her escape.

"Where are you going Bella?" he asked and a concerned frown appeared on his forehead.

"There's a photo of the two of us kissing on Twitter" Bella hissed. "I've just heard some girls talking about it in the ladies room!"

"Holy Fuck!" Edward exclaimed running his hand through his hair. Bella knew that this was a sign of stress and she hated that she had been the one to have to break this to him.

"Can they see it's you?" he spluttered, thinking quickly about the implications for this evening if Tanya found out it was Bella in the photograph and that she was here. Even though they both wanted revenge after what Tanya had done to her, they wanted this evening to go as smoothly as possible for the sake of the film and for everyone associated with it.

"Apparently not" Bella replied and Edward sighed in relief.

"I don't want you to go yet." Edward pleaded with her and then turned to Jasper, asking him to look after her for a bit longer until he could get away. Bella moved nearer to the elevator, ready to be the first to jump in when the shit eventually hit the fan and Jasper once again helpfully put his arm around her waist to give the impression to the other guests that they were a couple.

In the meantime, Edward wandered over to James and told him that he would only be staying another ten minutes or so as he had accidentally eaten some anchovies on one of the canapés and he had suffered an allergic reaction to them in the past. He had some tablets back in his room, so he was going to say his goodbyes and leave. James had to reluctantly accept this story, as the last thing he wanted was his star to start vomiting or hallucinating all over the place.

Edward nodded to Jasper who he could see was by the exit and he escorted Bella to the elevator which took them down to the ground floor. Jasper asked for Edward's car to be called and he waited with Bella until Edward appeared looking slightly anxious. The three of them walked out into the cool London night and waited until a black limousine pulled up at the kerb. Jasper hung back as Edward and Bella climbed into the car. "Aren't you coming with us?" Edward called out, beckoning Jasper to join them.

"Nah" he said. "It's your night you lucky bastard – enjoy."

Edward smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks Jasper, thanks for everything tonight." The car door closed and Edward and Bella were swept off into the night and on the way to Edward's suite.


	11. Chapter 11

Back at the hotel, they walked hand in hand through the foyer towards the elevators, not caring now if anybody saw them together. The farce that was Tanya's deluded claim to be Edward's girlfriend was just about to be blown out of the water and even though Edward knew the repercussions would be seismic, he felt that an enormous weight was being lifted from his shoulders.

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside the empty car. Edward leant over to press the button for the third floor as he didn't want to appear presumptuous, but Bella stopped his hand and guided it up to the one that said 'P'.

"I think your room would be a bit more comfortable" she suggested and after Edward entered the unique code for that floor, they both pressed the button together.

The doors closed and Edward instantly took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately, pushing her body against the wall of the elevator, running his hand down her leg to her knee. "I've been waiting to do that all evening" he said between kisses.

He hitched her leg up to rest on his hip, allowing his arousal to press against her hot centre. His hands were all over her, frantically touching and caressing, as if he were a blind man trying to memorise every curve of her body. Her hands were gripping the top of his arms and she could feel lust and want and need in every part of him that was touching her.

The elevator reached its destination and they stumbled out into the corridor making their way to Edward's suite, not breaking their kiss until Edward realised it was impossible to open the door with the card without a moment to concentrate on that task alone. They fell in through the door and Edward's mouth covered Bella's again immediately, kissing and sucking as they slowly moved in the direction of the bedroom. Edward dragged off his jacket and tossed it across the room, not caring where it landed. His watch and tie were next, followed by Bella's bag and her shoes.

Edward stopped at the threshold of the bedroom, breaking the kiss. He brushed the hair from Bella's face, running his fingers through it slowly, savouring the smell and the softness that was now a reality rather than a distant memory. "Let me know if you feel uncomfortable or if you want me to stop" he reassured Bella. She felt the luxurious bedroom carpet under her feet and she knew that the time for indecision was long gone.

Bella moved her hands onto his chest and slowly began to unfasten the buttons of his shirt one by one, while Edward watched her intently. "I don't want you to stop Edward. I want you to make love to me tonight." She clutched his open shirt and slowly pulled him by it into the room, stopping when she felt the bed at the back of her knees.

Edward bent down and kissed her gently on the lips as Bella slipped her hands inside his shirt, running her hands over his broad chest and feeling the strength of his toned body under her fingertips. He reached behind her and slowly unbuttoned her dress which fell like a waterfall to the floor, creating a pool around her feet, and then he stepped back to look at her body with unbridled lust.

Her chin had dropped to her chest as she suddenly felt embarrassed to stand in front of this God-like being in just her bra and panties, wishing that she had used the gym a bit more often or gone swimming with Alice occasionally. "You are exquisite" Edward whispered in her ear to reassure her and then he picked her up, bridal style, and gently placed her on the ornate oak bed.

She lay there watching him as he seductively removed his shirt and slung it onto a nearby chair revealing his broad shoulders and beautifully toned body. Their eyes locked as he kicked his shoes off and bent down slowly to remove his socks, Edward watching Bella's reaction to his striptease. Her eyes widened further as he undid the zip of his pants, which then slid down his slim hips without any assistance, leaving Edward standing in front of her in just his black boxers and a look of concern and worry on his face.

He placed one knee on the bed and bent over Bella to look into her bright but anxious eyes trying to read her mind. "Are you sure you're ok?" Her words and her actions had seduced him into believing she was ready to make love, but her body language was screaming out to him that something was not as it should be. Bella nodded her head, but he was still not convinced that she was totally relaxed and he wasn't prepared to go any further until he discovered the reason.

Bella sat up and moved onto her knees. With her hands caressing his face she took a deep breath before softly speaking. "I've been waiting for this moment all my life Edward, I've been waiting for you all my life" and then she kissed him tenderly and clung to his body.

Edward put his protective arms around her as the penny finally dropped. The realisation that Bella had not had sex before hit him like a train and it took him a moment to come to terms with this revelation. He had lost count of the number of girls and women he had slept with since his first fumble at the age of 16, when he was too young and sexually ignorant to realise the significance of being someone's 'first', and he had never knowingly had this responsibility since. The enormity of the moment engulfed him and the realisation that Bella was ready and willing to give him the most precious gift a woman could give a man, meant that for a moment he was too choked to speak.

He lay Bella down onto her back and moved fully onto the bed to lie next to her. He slowly and gently kissed her neck, his lips moving down to her collarbone and then to the valley between her breasts. He pulled the cup of her bra down and covered her nipple with his mouth, licking and sucking until it hardened under his expert touch. He slipped his hand behind her and unclasped the strapless bra and watched it fall away, exposing her soft, small breasts to the cool air. His mouth clamped down on the other breast while his fingers touched and teased the now neglected nipple, sending Bella into a frenzy.

Edward's mouth headed south and he kissed, nipped and sucked his way down to her panties, leaving tiny marks on her hips and abdomen. Bella's fingers were running through his hair which felt like silk to her, gently tugging and pulling on handfuls, while her body writhed and moaned in ecstasy. Edward deftly slipped his fingers inside her panties and touched the tender spot between her legs, the part that was gradually becoming the centre of her universe, causing her to cry out in blissful agony.

His fingers slid inside her folds and they teased the wet and burning entrance to the most intimate part of her body. He looked up at Bella who had raised herself slightly so that she could watch him exploring her with his fingers and he watched her face intently for her reaction as he carefully pushed one inside her, causing her to collapse onto her back again. Her body arched up towards the ceiling as she gyrated herself on his long finger that was now stroking her walls slowly, moaning and squirming as she allowed her legs to fall apart, inviting Edward to continue with his ministrations.

Edward quickly moved onto his knees and hooked his fingers under Bella's panties, removing them in one quick action. He ran his hands up the inside of her thighs, massaging the tension from her legs in an effort to make her more relaxed. He wanted desperately to kiss and lick her there, but thought that might freak her out completely this time.

His cock was harder than titanium by now and it was twitching within the confines of his boxers as he pushed his finger into her again, feeling her warmth and tightness around him. He withdrew his finger and then slowly and gently pushed two fingers in, to help prepare her body to receive him. Bella cried out in pleasure and Edward watched in awe as her body arched up again and her hands covered her breasts and her fingers played with her elongated nipples.

Edward removed his fingers and rolled off the bed. He had the foresight to bring condoms with him from New York, in the slim but not impossible hope that he would find himself in the position he was currently in. Unfortunately they were in his wash bag in the bathroom.

Bella opened her eyes and saw Edward leaving the room and was confused as to why he had left her when she was on the point of exploding. "What's the matter?" she cried out, immediately thinking she had done something wrong. Edward sensed her distress and turned around quickly. "Condom" he explained and disappeared into the bathroom.

He came back to the bed in an instant and was kneeling between Bella's legs again. She looked up at him struggling with the foil wrapper and said sheepishly "I've been on the pill for a year for women's problems, you don't need to use one if you don't want to."

Edward leant over her and kissed her. "I know I'm clean, but this is for your protection too, I have never had sex without a condom, ever."

Bella caressed his face with her hand. "I don't want to have sex, I want to make love. I need to touch you and feel YOU inside of me, and I want you to feel all of me when you take me, no barriers." She looked at him pleadingly and then bent her head shyly as he stared at her open mouthed.

Edward was speechless as he looked down at the unnecessary condom, and he made the decision to ignore the 'no brainer' rule he had made for himself as soon as he became sexually active, a rule he had never been tempted before to break. Bella was a virgin and he wanted ..., no he needed to feel the full sensation of taking her virginity and to keep that memory intact for the rest of his life.

He threw the condom across the room and stripped off his boxers, revealing himself to Bella for the first time. He moved towards her so that his cock was touching her centre and then reached for one of Bella's hands. "Touch me" he said, moving himself up her body so that her hand could reach his cock, and she could become familiar with the softness of his skin and the hardness inside.

He watched Bella's reaction as she stroked and squeezed his cock until he could feel the burn building inside of him. He gently took hold of Bella's hand and moved it to the side of her head and held it there, while his other hand guided his cock towards her entrance. By now, Edward was so turned on he was in danger of coming too quickly and he closed his eyes to concentrate on going back to first base in his head.

He gave Bella one last passionate kiss before he dragged his cock over her wetness and then slowly pushed himself inside of her, stopping to check that she was ok and listening intently to her moans and whimpers for signs of distress as she allowed him to fill the void that until then, she didn't know had been in her life.

Edward had never had an experience like this before; she was giving herself to him completely and the emotions that were washing over him as his cock pushed into her tight virginal channel caused him to have to stop and regain control of himself. Her touch, her smell, her warmth, her sweet whispers, her trust, her innocence, were all too much for him to handle and he had to fight back tears that he could feel were building up in his eyes.

Edward could feel her barrier and he placed his arms on either side of her head holding her hands in his. "Look at me" he said and they locked eyes as Edward thrust forward, claiming her as his own.

He cried out in triumph as he felt her body allow him entrance and he plunged deep inside of her, stilling himself so that Bella could get used to the feeling of him completely buried in her. Edward was overcome with emotion and an intense feeling washed over him like a wave in that moment that he had finally found his way home, but it was a home unlike any one he had experienced before.

They lay like this for a few blissful moments, complete connected, savouring the closeness of being totally joined together, and then Edward slowly started to move, gently at first and then he gradually increased in speed and determination. He had never, ever, felt like this before in his short life. He was a man, he felt like a man, and the woman below him was his woman, and she was taking what he was giving in return for giving him the greatest gift a man could receive from a woman. He was King of the World and nothing or no-one was going to come between him and Bella anymore.

He drew Bella's knees to her chest so that he could push deeper inside her core and then slammed into her again and again, while Bella cried and writhed and moaned in pleasure beneath him. "You feel so fucking good" he groaned as he rocked further and further into her willing body. He sucked her breasts and softly bit her nipples causing Bella to arch her back, creating an incredible sensation around his cock as her angle changed.

He gripped her hips with his long fingers leaving marks in her soft flesh and then pulled her body upright so that she was sitting astride him on his lap, his cock still buried deep inside her. He could feel the burn building up inside him again, so he reached down with one hand and rubbed Bella's most sensitive spot while he watched himself sliding in and out of her. His other hand squeezed her bottom and he encouraged her to rock herself on him, but Bella was totally spent and she steadied herself by throwing her arms around his neck while he pushed into her forcefully from below.

"Come with me Bella" he demanded and rubbed her furiously until he felt her walls clamping down around him, milking his cock until he exploded into her. They both cried out in unison and clung to each other in a sweaty embrace as Edward pulsed inside of her, and they stayed in that position until their heart rates decreased and their breathing became steady again.

Edward felt Bella shiver so he manoeuvred his way to the edge of the bed and stood up, still intimately joined, with Bella clinging to him like a lost child. He pulled the bed cover back and lay down again, covering both of them with the thin duvet and even though he was physically exhausted, his emotions were in total overload and he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep straight away.

The realisation was dawning on him that he was falling in love with Bella, which was ridiculous as he had only really known her for less than a week, but the feelings he had in his heart and soul defied logic and he couldn't imagine a future without her.

"Are you ok?" he asked, now worried that he may have been a bit rough for Bella's first experience. He had fully intended to be gentle with her, but the animal in him had taken over and where there had been definite moments where he could say they were 'making love', the overwhelming primal desire to fuck, and fuck hard, had won the day and he was feeling a bit guilty.

"More than ok" Bella responded. "You were wonderful, it was wonderful, I had no idea it could be so good." She moved so that she could look him in the face. "Thank you for looking after me tonight Edward; whether we stay together or not, I will never ever forget tonight, you made me feel so special, you made me feel loved and cherished."

Edward was taken aback by this as she was repeating his thoughts exactly. It was too early to say the 'L' word and all he could do at that moment was to pull her closer to him and kiss her tenderly on her forehead.

They clung together under the covers until they eventually drifted off to sleep, Bella succumbing before Edward. Nothing could spoil this perfect night when the two of them became one.

Nothing they thought, until about 2.30 in the morning, when they were woken by the most horrendous banging sound coming from outside the room which sounded suspiciously like somebody hitting their door with something heavy. Edward jumped out of bed and told Bella to stay where she was while he went to investigate what was happening.

He pulled some sweats on that were on top of his case and wandered over to the door, just as he recognised the sound of Tanya's voice, screaming like a banshee, coming through the door.

"Edward Cullen – you two-timing fucking BASTARD! Come out of there" she shrieked.


	12. Chapter 12

"Fuck off Tanya – you're pissed" Edward retorted through the door. "Go back to your coffin and get some sleep – oh sorry, vampires don't sleep." Edward laughed and turned to go back to bed.

"I'm not going anywhere until you open this fucking door" she yelled and kicked the door with her foot.

Edward casually walked over to the hotel phone and dialled the front desk. "Can you get Security up here, there is a woman causing a scene in the corridor outside my room" he asked in a totally calm manner. He wanted Tanya to know that he couldn't give a toss about the situation.

"Open this fucking door" she screamed again.

"No Tanya, I'm not going to open the fucking door, I'm going back to my fucking bed and with any luck, you will have woken my fucking GIRLFRIEND so we can fucking well have another fuck – so I suggest you fuck off, unless of course you want to stand by that door all night listening to us fucking."

Edward heard the 'ping' of the lift as several security guards spilled out into the corridor. "I hope they've brought a net" he chuckled as he imagined the scene outside. He was tempted to have a look through the spy-hole but he needed to get back to Bella.

"I'll get my own back" he heard Tanya screaming "You and your fucking whore – you'll see."

Bella was kneeling on the bed listening to the showdown with smug amusement, but unclear as to what Edward's reaction would be. Tanya was a vindictive bitch and she knew deep down that this was the start of a war between the two camps and she was sorry that Edward had to deal with this sort of shit and that she was the cause.

Edward came back in the room to the sight of Bella totally naked, kneeling on the bed with her legs slightly apart and her arms open wide ready to embrace him. "Are you ok?" she asked, but his power of speech had left him again and he was mesmerised at the vision in front of him. His cock was already straining against the material of his sweat pants and he was completely and utterly ready to take her again, even though he was worried that she might be sore from their love-making a few hours ago.

"Yes, I'm ok" he replied after swallowing several times. "You're here with me, that's all that matters now Bella."

He shuffled out of his sweats and Bella's eyes went straight to his cock that was begging for attention and then to his face that had desire written all over it. She raised herself up on her knees with her arms still open wide and Edward lifted her with ease from the bed and pinned her up against the wall. Without hesitating, Bella wrapped her legs around his waist and Edward thrust into her, his cock finding her entrance like a guided missile. This wasn't a moment for foreplay, he needed the connection, to feel the warmth of her body around him, protecting him from the bullshit that was his life.

His cock twitched inside her and he felt the uncontrollable desire to move. "I love being inside you" he murmured softly. Bella responded with just two words, "love me," and their mouths connected and their tongues entwined in a frantic embrace.

He buried his face in her hair as he silently pumped into her. His fingers were pressed into the softness of her bottom and he pulled her towards him to match every thrust. Bella's shoulders were supporting her against the wall and her arms were on top of his shoulders so that Edward's chest was brushing against her breasts causing her nipples to harden.

Sweat was appearing on Edward's brow as he tried to control his animal instincts and not hurt her this time. Bella was oblivious to the strain he was under as her eyes were tightly closed to block out any distractions from the feel of Edward inside her. He knew he was close and he warned Bella that he was going to come.

"Don't wait for me" she whispered in his ear. "Feeling you in me and coming in me is enough."

"You're a fucking angel" he cried as he took completely control of their movements.

Edward pulled her from the wall and her back arched away from him so that her breasts came into line with Edward's mouth. He placed one of his arms on her back to support her and his mouth clamped down, taking her breasts into his mouth in turn, licking and sucking her rock hard nipples. He thrust into her until he felt a sensation of flames cover every inch of his body and he cried out her name as he released into her, slowly reducing the power of his thrusts as fireworks exploded in his head.

Breathing heavily and completely locked together, they stood still in the middle of the bedroom for a few blissful moments while they came back to reality.

Bella broke the silence after she leaned away and looked at him with an amused look on her face. "Do you think she's listening?" she joked.

Edward shook his head and laughed. "I sincerely hope not, but I wouldn't put it past her." He moved over to the bed and they disconnected, grabbing handfuls of tissues from a convenient box on the nightstand. Edward noticed in the half-light the evidence of Bella's lost innocence on the top cover of the bed, "which might take a bit of explaining to the hotel staff" he thought.

Edward sat down next to Bella on the bed as he was beginning to think about the implications of tonight's events. "I have a special day planned for tomorrow and I'm not letting that bitch spoil it for us Bella." He got up and went in the bathroom, grabbing the complimentary robes that were hanging on the back of the door. "We need to get out of here now – James and Tanya's agent will be outside the door as soon as they wake up, in fact I'm surprised they're not here already."

Edward went to his case and tipped everything out onto the floor. He picked up his black back-pack which went everywhere with him and threw a pair of jeans, some underwear, a t-shirt and a cream cable sweater into the pack, and then went back into the bathroom for his wash bag. "Come on" he said and took hold of Bella's hand.

"Where are we going?" Bella asked looking totally confused, imaging herself stepping out into the London night in just a white, fluffy robe. "Your room" Edward responded and Bella groaned in recognition of her own stupidity.

"Hang on a second." Bella turned back into the room and picked up her clothes, shoes and bag and rolled them into a ball. "Evidence" she said. "If they see this dress, they will work out who I am and will put two and two together before you have a chance to speak to them."

"Good thinking, but let's go – now."

Edward looked through the spy-hole before opening the door and tip-toeing out on his own to call the elevator. When Bella heard the familiar ping, she sprinted through the door and jumped in as Edward pressed the button for floor three.

"We're going to have trouble getting out of the hotel" Edward muttered under his breath. "There are bound to be hoards of paparazzi outside, now that this story has broken." Edward looked disappointed because he had plans for tomorrow and the last thing he wanted was to be followed by the parasites that were the bane of his life.

"We'll find a way" Bella said encouragingly as they walked along the corridor of floor three. She opened her door and led Edward into her 'tiny by comparison' room. He looked at the bed which was a larger than average (but still a) single bed and said "Cosy."

Bella laughed and undid his robe, slipping it from his shoulders. Edward reciprocated and they stood there naked, wondering who was going to make the first move.

"Sleep?" Edward suggested, and Bella giggled in relief. "Yes, sleep – I'm exhausted."

They climbed into the bed and after a couple of chaste goodnight kisses, fell asleep wrapped in a loving embrace.

* * *

Edward stood up from the kitchen table and stretched. Kate had been either writing notes or drawing in her notepad while he told the tale of how they had got together in London and how Tanya had found out that he had a girlfriend. Of course he had left out all the private bits, but he had told Kate they had slept together that night and that he felt like he was falling in love with her.

He walked out on the patio and watched the sun sinking towards the horizon. It had been a beautiful day and the sky was clear, so the stars would be out again tonight. Without his watch or a clock he had no idea what time it was, but he realised that it actually didn't matter anymore. For the first time in many years, today had not been organised to the nano-second and he felt free in a way that he had never felt for a very long time.

Kate put down her notepad and started busying herself in the kitchen. Edward asked if he could do anything to help, so she gave him a bowl and pointed to one of the greenhouses and told him to pick some vegetables for dinner this evening.

He opened the heavy glass door and peered inside, wondering what to expect and was amazed to see many different varieties of fruit and vegetables growing in pots on different levels of the greenhouse. There were tomatoes, courgettes, peppers, peas, and a marrow and in the corner on the floor was a large pumpkin. Hanging from a hook were bundles of carrots and onions and underneath one of the shelves was a bag of potatoes.

Edward felt like he was in an episode of The Good Life and laughed as it was one of his grandmother's favourite programmes. He remembered sitting watching repeats of the show on one of the Sky channels on Sunday afternoons, not wanting to leave the peaceful sanctuary of her home after spending a blissful weekend with her in her house in Richmond. He spent almost every weekend with her from Friday to Sunday evenings, before having to return to his parent's house afterwards so that he could walk on his own to the nearby school.

He would have moved in with his grandmother permanently in a heartbeat if he had been allowed, to get away from the constant bickering and arguments that happened practically every evening in the Cullen household. "Why did they stay together" he would ask himself retrospectively. To him it seemed crazy that they carried on living under the same roof for so long, when it was obvious they hated each other.

When Edward left home aged eighteen, they had gone their separate ways. Edward refused to see them now as the final face to face meeting with his mother, after his grandmother's funeral, had culminated in a huge row where she blamed him for the miserable years she had endured living with his father 'so that he wouldn't come from a 'broken home' while he was at school. He had told her bluntly that he had always considered he had come from a broken home anyway, and she should have just fucked off, and that was their last face to face conversation.

Edward walked back to the kitchen with his bowl of vegetables and he was interested what vegetarian feast Kate was going to rustle up this evening. She was throwing all sorts of spices into a saucepan that was filled already with an aromatic sauce and Edward spotted a jar of rice had been brought from the pantry. "Ah, vegetable curry" he guessed correctly.

He enjoyed vegetarian food – Bella had introduced him to it when she cooked for him back in New York and he often chose the vegetarian option now when he went out for dinner. He still liked his meat though and was convinced that a certain burger restaurant in LA took delivery of their ingredients directly from heaven.

While Kate was cooking, she asked him whether they managed to escape from the hotel.

Edward smiled and said yes, it all went to plan, and he recounted how they managed to give the paparazzi the slip and spend possibly Bella's last few hours of anonymity together.


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning Bella woke up to the sight of Edward talking on the hotel phone to the front desk. He was nodding and listening to whomever it was giving him directions to wherever!

"OK, thank you for your help" Edward put the phone down and noticed that Bella was awake. One of her breasts was showing above the bed covers and Edward had to mentally say "Down Boy" to himself and suppress the urge to launch himself onto the bed.

"Up you get" he said, pulling Bella out of the bed totally naked and depositing her safely in the bathroom before he was tempted to do anything. She was shutting the door with a huff but then gleefully spotted Edward's arousal poking through his bathrobe and burst out laughing.

"Never mind about that, get dressed quickly, we're leaving in twenty." Edward shouted, pulling his clothes from his backpack wishing he had the presence of mind to do this last night as now he would be leaving the hotel looking as though his clothes had been slept in.

Bella sauntered out of the bathroom still totally naked and lifted the lid of her case which had all her underwear and other small items in. She hadn't bothered totally unpacking, only hanging up her 'posh frocks.' While searching for her underwear, she just happened to bend over in front of Edward and suggestively wiggle her bottom at him and then she peered over her shoulder to gauge his reaction.

"Jesus Christ" he muttered and disappeared into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Bella pulled on a pair of smart jeans and a white t-shirt, then brushed her hair into a ponytail. She was retrieving her converse trainers from under the bed when Edward walked out of the bathroom and was greeted with the sight of Bella's bottom in the air again. "What the fuck" he exclaimed and swiped it with his towel.

"Ouch" Bella giggled innocently, "What was that for?" Edward grunted and told her to behave herself and get ready.

"How are we getting out of the hotel?" Bella asked, genuinely wondering what was going on and, more importantly, whether Edward's absence had been discovered by James yet. Before Edward could answer there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Cullen, its Henry Dawkins, the hotel manager Sir." Edward got up and opened the door and shook his hand.

"Thanks for arranging this – I will be eternally grateful if we can pull this off," he said furtively.

Bella was now totally confused, but she grabbed her leather jacket and bag and followed Edward and the Hotel Manager out of the door. They walked down the thankfully empty corridor and round two corners to the metal door of a small elevator. The manager pressed the call button and stood back to wait for its arrival.

"This is the service elevator" he explained to Bella. "It goes directly down to the kitchens and is used by the staff when you order room-service."

"We're going out through the kitchens then?" Bella exclaimed, grinning widely.

"Yes", said Edward. Mr. Dawkins has a delivery truck waiting for us at the back, which will take us to a car that is parked a few streets away."

They left the elevator and walked quietly through the kitchens. Not one head was turned, the staff were obviously used to VIPs escaping via this route, and so they walked out into the morning air and straight into the back of a white delivery van. Edward shook Mr. Dawkins by the hand to thank him and then the doors were shut and they were off.

After only a few minutes of being jostled about in the back, the van came to a stop and Edward and Bella climbed out onto a quiet London street where a man and a car were waiting for them. They both thanked the van driver who drove off with a smirk, obviously having done this before. The man with the car handed the keys over to Edward without a word, crossed the road and got into the passenger seat of a waiting car and drove off.

"Are you auditioning for James Bond in the future may I ask?" Bella said with a grin. Edward smiled and opened the passenger door of the beautiful sports car he had hired and gestured for Bella to get in. He walked around the back of the car and opened the trunk, smiled in satisfaction and then got into the driver's side.

He revved the car up and listened to the throaty roar of the massive engine that was concealed under the hood. He had a left-hand drive version of one of these back in Los Angeles so he was used to the power of these magnificent machines.

"What car is this?" Bella asked, not seeing any distinguishing marks on the interior console. "Aston Martin" Edward replied, and gave the engine another rev to honour the name.

"Oh! You are hoping to be James Bond then" Bella laughed. Normally she was totally disinterested in anything mechanical, but she did know that James Bond drove an Aston.

"Well, you never know. I am English, devilishly handsome, and I drive fast cars very very well."

Edward pulled away and joined the traffic that was heading out of town. He drove through the busy streets of Kensington and Earls Court and Bella sat back to enjoy the drive through parts of London that she had never seen before around Hammersmith and Chiswick. After about half an hour she noticed a sign for Richmond ahead of her.

"That's where your grandmother lived, isn't it." Edward nodded and drove off the dual carriageway and headed into Richmond town centre. The roads were busy and it was stop start all the way through the affluent town. Bella noticed some very expensive looking boutiques on the main thoroughfare and down pretty side streets and thought "Alice would love it here."

They meandered their way through the traffic to the top of the town and the end of the shops and then took the left hand fork to take them up a steep hill that was lined on the left with magnificent Georgian houses. On the right down the hill was the famous view of the Thames that had been painted by thousands of artists over the years and Bella was struck by the beauty of this place which was only half an hour drive from the teaming streets of London.

"Mick Jagger owns one of these" Edward said, pointing to one of the houses. "Wow" was the only word Bella was able to mutter.

In front of them was an entrance to a park marked with huge stone columns and they drove in slowly through the gates. The road instantly divided and Edward turned right, slowing down to 20 miles an hour which was the park's maximum speed limit. Edward knew where he was going and he drove for about five minutes before turning into a small car park and turning off the engine.

He didn't get out of the car straight away but just sat there with his hands on the steering wheel lost in thought. Bella guessed that this was a poignant moment for him so she sat quietly giving him time.

"This is Richmond Park" he said eventually. "It's huge, about two and a half thousand acres, and I used to come here with my grandmother to see the deer and have walks and picnics. Apart from her garden, it was her favourite place on earth."

Bella reached over to the steering wheel and took hold of his hand while he sat there recalling in his mind the happiest times of his life.

Edward got out of the car and opened the trunk where a picnic hamper and blankets had been left by the very obliging car hire company. Bella carried the blankets and followed Edward as they walked down a narrow footpath and through a small area of trees which opened up onto the side of a hill. In front of them was a stunning view of the County of Surrey and to the left they could just see the tops of some of the tallest buildings in the city of London.

"This was my grandmother's favourite spot" he said, as Bella laid the blankets out on the ground. "You can see for miles today, it's not always like this."

They sat in the sun on the grassy hill covered in wild flowers which was visited by the occasional deer and a few rabbits. Edward told Bella about his grandmother, whose name was Esme. She had been widowed at a young age and had brought up Edward's father virtually on her own. She had worked hard and built up a successful business that she had passed on to her son when she retired and he, with Edward's mother, had frittered away everything she worked for through laziness and drink.

When Edward was a child, Esme had told him stories about London during the war and her travels around the world with her parents who were in the Colonial service. She had married Edward's grandfather after meeting him in Kenya. He was a young army officer and he had seen her perform in an Amateur Dramatics production that the British ex-pats put on occasionally to relieve the boredom. They were married within six months and she was widowed two years later, just after the birth of their son. He was killed in a freak training accident and buried in a dusty military cemetery in Nairobi. Esme returned home to 1950's England on her own with a young baby and an army pension.

"How long is it since she died Edward?" Bella could see the pain etched on his face and she knew that this wound hadn't had long enough to heal yet.

"She died a few months before I met you, or fell on you" he laughed grimly. "I had just signed up for the first film and she was so pleased for me. I promised to take her to the premiere as my date, but it never happened." Edward laid himself flat on the ground and stared up into the sun, thinking of the day when he got a call from his mother to say Esme had been found dead in bed.

Bella lay down next to him and held his hand while he regained his composure.

After a while Edward got up and put everything back in the picnic hamper. "Come on – I've got something else to show you." He helped Bella get up and they shook out the blankets and folded them up, then walked back through the trees to the car.

Edward drove out of the park through the same gates but went a different route down the very steep hill and back into the town. Edward turned the car off from the main road and down one of the narrow side streets that had interesting shops and restaurants on either side. In front of them was a wide area of grass. "Richmond Green" Edward said helpfully, as he manoeuvred the car around the tight corners of the surrounding roads that had not been designed in the eighteenth and nineteenth century with motor vehicles in mind!

He drove down a narrow street and parked in the drive of a double fronted detached house with a neat garden surrounded by a low wall. They got out of the car and Bella looked up at the house, guessing it must be very old.

"Who lives here?" she asked Edward, who was reaching into the pocket of his jeans. She could see his hands were shaking and was concerned when he shook his head and she realised he couldn't speak.

He walked up two steps to the front door and inserted a key into the lock and as the door opened Bella heard a beeping sound as Edward crossed the threshold. He punched a few numbers onto a security panel next to the door and the beeping stopped. She didn't have to ask any more, she realised that this was his grandmother's house and he wanted to show her the place where he had felt secure and had been happy.

They walked through the silent rooms that had been perfectly preserved since the day Esme had passed away. Bella looked at the numerous photographs on the walls, on the mantelpieces, on the piano, in fact everywhere there was a flat surface! Many of them were of Edward as a boy, but a lot of them were sepia pictures of Edward's great-grandfather and grandfather in their military uniforms or in cricket whites. The house was a shrine to the men in her life which made Bella feel quite sad.

The kitchen was old-fashioned but homely and it looked out onto a pretty garden filled with roses. Bella wondered who looked after the house, but didn't want to ask the question at the moment as Edward was lost in thought.

She followed him up the stairs and looked in the bedrooms and the one bathroom that was probably last updated when Queen Victoria was on the throne. She felt as though she had walked back in time and she shivered, thinking of Esme dying alone in bed.

Edward opened the door to one of the bedrooms at the back of the house which overlooked the garden. "This used to be my room" he said and he walked over to the small single bed and sat down, staring into his hands.

Bella walked over to the window leaving Edward with his memories for the moment and looked down into the garden and the neighbouring ones beyond and wondered where the English fascination for gardening had come from. She turned away from the window and sat next to Edward on the bed.

"Who owns the house now" she asked.

"I do, sort of" he replied.

"What do you mean by sort of?"

Edward stood up and started pacing up and down looking agitated. "My grandmother left me the house in her will and my parents are contesting it."

Bella was shocked but let Edward carry on talking without interrupting him.

"They expected to inherit the house and live off the proceeds, as neither of them had put money aside for their pension" Edward explained. "When they found out it had been left to me and I refused to sell it and give them the money, they contested the will. The will is still in probate which means I can't live in it, or rent it out, or sell it, not that I would want to do any of those things!"

Bella thought for a moment before asking the obvious question. "Can't you buy them out, in other words you must be able to afford to buy this place ten times over now?"

Edward grunted. "It's not as simple as that I'm afraid. When I inherited the house I wasn't wealthy and I wanted the house, I mean I really really wanted it. My parents were furious and accused me of putting undue influence on my grandmother to leave it to me, which I didn't. I was as shocked as they were that she'd left it to me! When they decided to contest the will, we had a huge row and they said that if they won the case they wouldn't allow me to buy it off them, so I've got to win or I'll lose it forever."

Bella was astounded at how vindictive his parents could be towards their own son. It then dawned on her that Edward was absolutely alone in the world as he had no family at all, no brothers or sisters, aunts or uncles, nephews or nieces, just parents from hell.

She stood up and put her arms around him, holding him while he calmed down. She imagined him playing in this room when he was a little boy and his grandmother reading him stories and telling him tales before bedtime of all the exotic places she had travelled to. Her own parents had split up when she was quite young and she had been mainly brought up by her father, but she knew both her parents loved her and would move heaven and earth for her if needed.

They left the room and went downstairs. Edward walked through the largest room which also overlooked the garden and opened the French windows onto a small patio. The smell of roses was overwhelming and Edward took a deep breath of the scent, which reminded him more than anything else of his beloved grandmother. He went to the shed at the bottom of the garden and came out with a pair of clippers and went from bush to bush collecting a selection of different buds.

He walked over to Bella and handed her a single white rose. "For you" he said and kissed her tenderly on the forehead.

They went back into the house and Edward locked the doors behind him. Checking that nothing was out of place, he set the alarms and they left the house exactly as it was.

Edward put the roses in the trunk and then reversed the car out of the drive onto the narrow street. "One more stop" he said and drove back up Richmond Hill to St. Matthias Church. They parked nearby and Edward collected the roses from the trunk and they walked hand in hand into the churchyard.

They found Esme's grave quickly and Edward removed the faded roses that were lying on top of the stone that read

_**Esme Rose Cullen**_

_**Wife of Captain Carlisle Cullen**_

_**Beloved Grandmother of Edward**_

He laid the roses from her garden on the stone and stood up straight, holding tightly onto Bella's hand.

"This is Bella Grandma, I wanted you to meet her. I told you about her two years ago; she was the girl I lost but I've found her again. She's become very important to me because she makes me happy and I want to make her happy too. I'm sorry I haven't visited for a long time but I promise I will come back again soon. Your garden is looking beautiful and the roses smell wonderful."

Bella let go of his hand and took a step back, leaving Edward to talk to his grandmother alone. She was conscious that she had been crying and she took some tissues out of her bag to clean herself up before Edward noticed.

She watched Edward from a distance and her mind went back to last night when they had made love for the first time. The significance of the white rose suddenly occurred to her and a new stream of tears started pouring down her face.

She thought she was already in love with Edward when they had finally met again, but that wasn't love, that was the fulfilment of a two-year infatuation. She now knew what love was, it was what she was feeling now for Edward which was all-consuming desire, a want, a need to be beside him, to support him, to live with him forever. A tsunami of emotions washed over her as she watched this man, this strong, powerful, sexy but vulnerable man, standing in front of the grave of his grandmother, talking to her as though she was still alive.

After a while Edward came to where Bella was standing and they walked hand in hand silently back to the car. Bella could see Edward had been crying but she didn't say anything, leaving him to his thoughts and emotions. They drove away down the steep hill and through the town to the junction that would take them back into London. Edward let out a deep sigh and put his foot down on the gas allowing the Aston Martin to power them back to reality.


	14. Chapter 14

Kate had stopped what she was doing in the kitchen and had sat down at the table with Edward while he related the events of that day from his point of view. There were a few times when he had to stop talking to draw breath and count to ten, before he could continue.

His scars were very deep, the death of his grandmother, the neglect and vindictiveness of his parents and loving and losing Bella had taken a toll on this young man and she was sure there was more to come. She had yet to find out why their relationship had come to an end, when it was obvious to Kate that he was still deeply in love with Bella.

Her experience as a Counsellor had taught her that it was important for her patients – or clients as she preferred to call them – to relate in detail all the major or minor events leading up to their breakdown. She didn't consider that Edward had experienced a classic breakdown, but with everything that was happening in his life, he was a prime candidate for one in the future.

Kate went back into the kitchen to finish preparing dinner while Edward sat with his elbows on the table and his head in his hands. This morning he had felt fresh and alive after their talk last night and a good night's sleep. Now he felt the weight of the world was creeping slowly back to sit on his shoulders.

"Dinner's ready" Kate called and Edward washed his hands while Kate put bowls of two different vegetable curries and rice on the table. "Beer?" she suggested, and Edward's eyes shot up and he nodded enthusiastically. "You can't have a curry without beer" he said gratefully.

They talked about normal everyday things over their dinner which was delicious. Edward was astonished to learn that Kate hadn't been to the cinema in over 20 years and that modern technology had totally passed her by. He asked her why she didn't have a television or a telephone and she said that she had decided to walk away from the world some time ago and she was practically self-sufficient. She preferred her own company most of the time, only venturing into the 21st century when it was absolutely necessary.

Edward asked the question that had been bugging him since he saw the photographs on the piano. "Where is your family now?"

Kate was silent for a few moments, deep in thought. "I lost my family in a fire" she said after a while, and then she stood and picked up the empty plates to take them back to the sink.

"I'm so sorry" Edward responded, feeling embarrassed.

"It happened a long time ago, I would rather not talk about it" Kate continued. "Let's carry on with your story – what happened when you got back to the hotel?"

Edward sat back in his chair and put the beer bottle to his lips, recalling the moment when they walked back into the shit-storm.

* * *

Edward handed back the keys of the Aston Martin to the same guy who delivered it. Taking Bella by the hand they walked the short distance towards their hotel which was now completely surrounded by paparazzi waiting for their first shot of Edward Cullen after the 'thisisnottanya-gate' picture had been published. The eyes of the paps and every camera was pointing directly at the main entrance of the hotel so Edward and Bella managed to creep up behind them without being seen.

Spotting a gap in the crowd, they pushed their way through amid shouts of 'Oi' and 'Watch it' as the odd elbow got nudged and they had almost made it to the steps unrecognised before they were spotted.

Knowing the paps couldn't go any further than the pavement, they ran up the steps as fast as they could and dived into one section of the revolving doors and fell out laughing into the hotel lobby.

They were greeted by "where the fuck have you been?" from a seething James. He had hardly moved from the lobby all day waiting for his golden boy to make an appearance. His cell had been ringing non-stop with calls from all the usual gossip magazines and websites wanting a quote. "Fuck Off" was what he wanted to say to them but these people were useful for free publicity when he needed it.

"Family business" Edward retorted and started making his way towards the elevators.

"Oh no you don't" James shouted. "There is a small matter of a photograph that needs discussing before you disappear again." James was staring intently at Bella and two and two were certainly adding up to make five.

"So you want to discuss that here - in the hotel lobby - do you?" Edward hissed at his agent, who suddenly realised that he had an audience of about fifty interested people waiting for the next bit of juicy gossip.

"My room, now" James said in a more discreet voice.

"No James. Your room in half an hour. I've been out all day, I'm taking a shower, I have a phone call to make and THEN I will see you in your room."

James took a step backward and knew that this was a battle not worth fighting. "Half an hour then."

Edward and Bella walked to the elevators, feeling the eyes of fifty amused people boring into their backs. Edward pressed button three and escorted Bella to her room where he had left his backpack.

Bella flung her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you for taking me out today and telling me about your grandmother." Edward nodded in response and then returned Bella's kiss, this time with tongues.

"Bella, don't answer your door or leave your room until you hear from me OK?" Edward sounded quite determined which took her by surprise. "Tanya may have found out who you are, and I don't want you two meeting up unless I'm there – is that clear?"

Bella nodded and Edward heard her put the chain on her door when he left. He got back in the elevator and punched in the code for his floor.

He was relieved there wasn't a welcoming committee waiting for him outside his suite. Once inside he threw his bags on the bed, which now had a new cover on it (oh dear). He stripped off and walked into the bathroom naked and turned on the shower, which was one of those all singing and dancing ones that sand-blasted you from all directions. He turned the temperature up to 'fucking hot' and stood with his hands resting against the walls while his skin was pummelled and massaged by scalding jets of water. He washed his hair and then covered himself with body wash and then turned the temperature down to cool himself so that he didn't come out looking like a lobster.

He wrapped himself in a towel and lay on the bed while he called Jasper to find out what was being said about the photograph in the media. Jasper picked up on the second ring.

"What's up Ed – or shouldn't I ask?" Jasper chortled. "You really know how to fuck things up, don't you?"

"Oh God! Tell me the worst" Edward responded, running his hand through his damp hair.

Jasper took a deep breath "Well, these are some of the stories I've heard so far.

It wasn't you;

It was you, but you'd kissed the girl because it was her hen party;

It's a fake photo;

It's a publicity shot for your next film and the girl is an actress;

You're gay so it can't be real;

It was taken three years ago;

Would you like me to carry on?"

Edward laughed for a moment. "So no-one has picked up it was Bella yet?"

"No, I haven't heard her name mentioned at all. You can't see her face, all you can see is your face and your floppy hair covering her features because you were bending down. It's fortunate that Bella is so tiny. They are describing the lucky lady as being slim with long brown hair, which of course means 'definitely not Tanya.'"

"OK Jasper. Thanks mate – I'm in your debt, again."

"No worries – but one word of advice Edward, look after Bella, she is one hell of a girl. If you fuck her over you'll have me to deal with."

"Goodnight Jasper." Edward turned off his cell and then picked up the hotel phone and dialled Bella's room.

"Hi" she said, pleased to hear his voice.

Edward related what Jasper had reported and Bella in turn had phoned Alice in New York who had given her a similar story. Bottom line was that Bella was still anonymous as far as the press were concerned and Edward wanted to keep it that way for the time being.

"I must go as James is expecting me in five. I'll call you as soon as I'm done."

Edward replaced the phone on its cradle and lay back on the bed, not bothering that his hair was still damp. "Why am I worried about what James might say – it's my fucking life" he spoke out loud to himself.

He rolled off the bed and slung his sweats and a t-shirt on – he wasn't dressing up for this, it might get bloody. Grabbing his cell and his room key he strolled down the corridor and banged on James's door.

James opened the door to his suite with a drink in his hand. "Come in Edward – drink?" For some reason he was all sweetness and light and Edward was instantly suspicious.

"No thanks James, I intend having one later, WITH BELLA" he almost shouted.

"Oh, Bella is it! Not Isabella? What are we going to do about Bella?"

"You're going to have nothing to do with Bella – she's my girlfriend, period."

James refilled his glass and sat on the sofa watching Edward intently as he paced up and down the room running his hands through his hair.

"So you're going to fuck up the whole PR machine just for a five minute screw with a girl you met a week ago then - hmm?"

Edward advanced towards James with a murderous look in his eye. "She's not a five-minute screw and I've known her a lot longer than you think – anyway it's none of your fucking business."

"Why haven't I seen or heard of her then if she's so fucking important" James retorted, then he sat bolt upright in his chair. "Bella, Bella, where have I heard that name bef ... oh fuck."

"Yes James, she's THAT Bella, the Bella who Tanya tried to fuck-over, and almost succeeded, and you obviously knew all about that, you bastard."

"But that was two years ago, are you telling me that you've been fucking her for two years?"

"No, we met up by chance last week, but I've been searching for her since the day I met ... the day I fell on her."

Edward went over to the drinks cabinet and poured himself a large one and then sat down for the first time since entering James's room.

James verbally launched into him. "Tanya's pissed as it is, as this photograph has made her look completely fucking stupid as it completely contradicts the tales she has been telling, and when she finds out that it's Bella Swan, she will go into fucking orbit." James got up from the sofa and went out onto the balcony to light up. He leaned over the rail looking at the twinkling lights of the London evening and smoked his cigarette, while Edward mulled over the consequences of his relationship with Bella.

He wasn't stupid. He knew this film and the third film would not be as financially successful as the first if Tanya was found out to be lying about their 'relationship.' The films made millions, from which he took a cut, and professionally he would rather leave the series on a high than with a third film that bombed. He knew then that this mess had to be sorted, but whatever happened in the next day or so, he would be straight with Bella and keep her fully informed of what the explanation of the photograph was going to be, as he was not prepared to do anything that would jeopardise his relationship with her.

He reluctantly decided that he would tell James that he would go along with whatever story the PR people concocted, within reason, but if Tanya came anywhere near Bella or tried to fuck her career up again, then the gloves were off. He would invite the world's media to the top of the Empire State, get down on one knee and propose to Bella in front of them and Tanya would be on her own to talk her way out of that one.

James came back in the room and Edward relayed his thoughts to him, leaving out the bit about the Empire State and the proposal, but he was serious about Tanya's vendetta with Bella.

"OK Edward, I'll get back to you as soon as a story has been agreed. In the meantime, keep a low profile, which means don't be seen with Bella if you can help it."

Edward nodded in agreement. "Room service it is then."

James laughed and looked hard at Edward. "You really like this girl, don't you?"

"I love her James, and I think that she loves me."

* * *

Edward went back to his room and called Bella's number. She answered straight away.

"My room, dinner and a movie sound good to you?" Edward suggested. "And don't bring any clothes, you won't need them" he said jokingly but actually really really meaning it.

"Very funny" Bella said. "Be with you in five."

Edward searched the desk for the room service menu and found it in one of the drawers. He was perusing it when there was a knock on his door. "That's quick" he thought and rushed over and flung it open expecting Bella, but getting Tanya.

"What do you fucking want?"

Tanya burst into the room. "Where is she? Where is the fucking whore?"

Edward lunged to stop her getting in but she was too quick. She ran into the bedroom and bathroom looking for evidence of a female presence and found none.

"Get the fuck out of my room Tanya or I'm calling security again" Edward hissed and he advanced towards the phone.

"You had a girl in here last night, you, you, bastard."

"Yes, I did have my GIRLFRIEND in here last night, we fucked, and then we fucked again. Do you honestly think I've been celibate since we've been having our 'relationship'?" Edward did the two finger air-quotes gesture to emphasise the point.

He was on a roll now.

"My balls would be bluer than Elvis's Suede Shoes if that was the case. I'm a young guy, I fuck as often as the opportunity arises, but get this into your thick head Tanya, once and for all, I am never, ever, going to fuck you!"

Edward heard the ping of the elevator and his first thought was to protect Bella from Tanya's venom if she walked in on the quivering, seething gorgon whose face could turn anyone to stone. He anticipated a knock on the door, but it didn't happen, so while Tanya was screaming expletives at him, he walked to the door himself, opened it and gestured Tanya to leave.

"Don't worry about your reputation you ignorant bitch, the PR people are all over this mess. You'll come out of this smelling like roses as usual, so don't worry your ugly head – now fuck off and leave me alone."

Tanya stalked out of the room without saying another word and Edward slammed the door so hard he felt the floor shake under his feet.

About five minutes later there was a gentle knock on the door. Edward checked through the spy-hole this time and saw Bella standing there with James behind her.

"I rescued her" James said grinning widely, obviously expecting some brownie points "I was standing outside your door listening, when Bella walked out of the elevator just as Tanya was moving into top gear and I convinced her to take refuge in my suite."

"Thanks James, see you in the morning – Goodnight." Edward and Bella responded together and he pulled her into the room and shut the door.

"How come he's being nice for change?" Bella asked looking totally confused.

Edward guided her over to one of the sofas "We need to talk, but not before dinner – I'm starving."

"That sounds ominous" Bella replied looking a bit worried. "I'm starving too – so let's order."


	15. Chapter 15

Edward ordered enough food to feed an army and while they were waiting for it to arrive, they made out on the sofa like teenagers. "Second Base" Edward muttered, when his hand disappeared under Bella's t-shirt and onto her breast. When they heard a knock on the door, Bella and Edward automatically shot off the sofa, straightening their clothes, as if Bella's father had just walked in with his shotgun.

During dinner Edward described his meeting with James and while he wasn't entirely happy with what had been concluded, he had agreed with James not to go public about their relationship for the moment. Edward explained to Bella that he didn't want her to be harassed by the media and paparazzi when she went back to New York, especially as he would be back in LA for the pre-production meetings for film three, so their revenge plan would have to be put on hold.

Bella could see the sense in this but she was sad that she would not be able to talk about Edward to her friends and family. Alice knew of course, but she trusted her not to talk. Her Dad wouldn't say anything either – he had probably never heard of Edward as he hadn't set foot in a cinema since taking her to see Disney films when she was a kid. Her mother, however, might as well take out a full page advert in the New York Times as she would be on the phone all day and night to her friends, and the story would spread like wildfire.

Edward trusted Jasper not to talk, so they hoped that knowledge of their relationship had been contained.

Before Edward had left James's suite, he had received an e-mail to say that the story that the PR people were in the process of fine-tuning was that the girl Edward kissed on the South Bank was a fan. It was her birthday and the kiss had got slightly out of hand. Edward, being the gentleman that he is, carried on with it so as not to embarrass her. End of story.

Bella laughed. "Well I suppose that's true – I'm a fan!" She leant over the table and slipped her hand into his. "One really good thing has come out of this do you realise?"

"No, what?"

"Do you know any other couple who have a photographic record of their first meaningful kiss?"

Edward looked into her eyes and then laughed out loud, shaking his head. Bella looked disappointed and a bit confused.

"Pity we didn't invite the same photographer into the bedroom last night then" Edward chuckled.

Bella threw her napkin at him as visions of a random photographer snapping away when they were 'in flagrante delicto' started appearing in her head, causing her cheeks to turn bright red.

Edward by now was in stitches and Bella huffed and then saw the funny side of it.

"You really know how to kill a moment don't you? I thought you would think that was quite romantic."

"It is, it is, I'm so sorry."

They cleared their plates onto the trolley and pushed it outside into the corridor. Bella went into the bathroom and Edward scanned the channels on the television for the pay-per-view movies. He skipped quickly over the porn channels as he considered, quite unselfishly he thought, that Bella wouldn't appreciate one of those tonight.

Bella dropped down on the sofa beside him and leant her head on his shoulder.

"Tired?" Edward asked as she curled her feet up underneath her to get comfortable.

"Yes, I suppose so, it's been a long day with lots to think about."

"Would you rather not watch a film – we can just talk if you like?"

"Yes I'd like that."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Tomorrow, when I go back to New York and you go back to LA."

Edward pulled her into his side and kissed the top of her hair. "This is going to be difficult isn't it?"

"Yes!"

"We'll get over it somehow – I'm not giving you up."

"Good – I'm not giving you up either."

"Skype."

"Air Miles?"

"I'll have to meet with Mike and Tyler again soon."

"I'll make sure Empty get some contracts in LA"

"Long weekends?"

"Thanksgiving."

"Can we meet in the middle somewhere?"

"You pick a place."

"Oh God, I'm missing you already."

"Bed?"

"Bed!"

"Now."

Their clothes left a trail from the lounge to the bedroom. Edward was first to be naked and he pulled Bella onto the bed, still wearing her panties, which were soon unceremoniously flying across the room no more than ten seconds later. He covered her face with kisses, long lingering kisses devouring her mouth, sucking her lips, pushing his tongue inside to caress hers; short delicate pecks on her eyelids, her cheeks and down her neck; small bites on her earlobes and across her collarbone, leaving tiny red marks. He turned his attention to her breasts and nipples, kissing and sucking, while his hands expertly explored her body, touching, massaging, squeezing.

Bella's hands were in his hair, then on his arms and then around his back, where her fingertips slid over the taught skin on his shoulder blades and she felt his muscles flex and tighten as he moved over her body.

Edward's mouth was gradually heading south towards the furnace that was building up between her legs and she could feel his arousal pressing against her thigh. She reached between their bodies to touch him and her hand found what it was looking for and caressed the softness of his skin that covered the hardness within. She grasped the head and rang her finger over the top, feeling a bead of moisture on the tip and she longed to taste him in her mouth.

Edward, sensing Bella's curiosity, moved to kneel in front of her so her face was close to his erection. He covered her hand with his and started moving it up and down. "Like this" he said and then let go, watching her intently as she pumped his cock, as she in turn stared in fascination as she watched it grow even larger in her small hand.

Edward leaned forward slightly and gently parted her knees, slipping his fingers between her legs to expertly massage the sensitive folds of skin that were warm and wet and needy. He bent further over so that he could slip his finger inside her and while he was doing this, Bella wrapped her lips around his cock, licking and sucking the head, causing him to moan out loud due to a combination of ecstasy and complete surprise at her alacrity.

Bella moved one hand to the base of his cock, gripping it tightly, while the other hand cupped his balls, pulling and massaging them. She licked the sides of his aching penis like a popsicle and then her lips closed over the top and she took into her mouth as much of him as was physically possible. Edward felt the tip touch the back of her throat, just as Bella swallowed, and the sensation was so intense he thought he was going to have a coronary.

"That feels so fucking good" he croaked, which was the understatement of the year, but his brain was not able to think of anything more succinct at that moment. Bella looked up at him with wide eyes and her lips around his cock and he almost came on the spot, as he knew that this vision of Bella in supplication before him would be ingrained on his memory for eternity.

His finger was still inside her, and he could feel the walls of her vagina tightening around him. He withdrew his finger and then gently inserted two fingers causing Bella to whimper. He moved his fingers in and out slowly while Bella swivelled her hips, still with her lips wrapped around his cock.

He was desperate to lick and taste her but didn't want to interrupt Bella's stirling efforts just yet. He withdrew his fingers and held Bella's head still with his other hand while he slowly lay down on his side so that his head was between her legs. Bella realised what he was trying to achieve and manoeuvred herself onto her opposite side so that she would not lose mouth to penis contact. She clamped her lips around him and sucked as hard as she could, just as Edward lifted one of her legs up high, buried his face in her pussy and pushed his tongue straight into her entrance.

Both of them let out guttural moans of carnal pleasure as they licked and sucked, nipped and touched the most intimate parts of each other. Edward could feel the burn building inside of him and he warned Bella that he was going to come. Disappointingly for Edward, she broke contact and looked down at him for a second, before giving him a saucy wink and then she dived back onto his cock to suck him into oblivion. Edward thrust his fingers back into her entrance and used his thumb to rub the little nub and within seconds he could feel Bella's orgasm building.

Bella could also feel Edward's climax approaching. She took him in her mouth as far down as humanly possible and slowly ran her teeth up his length and then clamped down hard with her lips creating as much suction as she could muster while squeezing the base of his cock and then letting go. As Edward exploded in her mouth and his hot streams of cum collided forcefully with the back of her throat, Edward screamed out "Holy Fuck!" at the precise moment he thrust three fingers into her entrance. Bella's whole body shuddered at the force of his invasion and she screamed with Edward's cock still in her mouth, as her own orgasm crashed over her like a wave.

This was the most erotic and intense sensation either of them had ever experienced and they lay on the bed panting, waiting for the world to start spinning again. Bella was shaking and had lost the feeling in her legs and she thought for a moment she might be paralysed from the waist down, such was the force of her orgasm. Edward just lay there with a look of pure bliss on his face, not knowing whether he would be able to move or speak again, as he had never experienced such an overwhelming release in his life.

Eventually Edward turned on the bed so that they were lying on their sides, face to face.

"Where the fuck did you learn to do that?" Edward asked Bella, fascinated to know where she had learned how to give the best blow-job in the history of mankind, and he was starting to be a bit curious that Bella was not as inexperienced as he originally thought.

"Alice likes porn – not the nasty stuff, just the fun, fantasy stuff on cable and the internet. I watch it occasionally with her" she explained looking slightly embarrassed.

Edward made a mental note to send flowers and chocolates to thank Alice at his earliest opportunity.

"What else have you learnt to do – I'm very interested?"

"Well ... you'll have to wait and see" Bella teased and kissed Edward on the nose.

Edward pulled a long face and his bottom lip settled into a very sexy pout.

Bella swiped his arm with her hand. "Don't be an ungrateful toad – how many guys have had a virgin, sex against the wall, a blow job and a sixty-nine with the same girl in less than 24 hours."

Edward looked at her sheepishly and took her in his arms.

"I know – I'm the luckiest bastard in the world. I don't deserve you."

"Yes you do, you are wonderful, sexy, charming, loyal and caring and I love you."

Bella's eyes snapped up to his and her hand went up to her mouth. She stopped breathing for a second and then dropped her chin to her chest as she stuttered "Sorry, sorry, that's too soon, I shouldn't have said that."

Edward pulled her hand away from her mouth and lifted her chin up so that their eyes locked.

"I'm in love with you too Bella, I know it's too soon, but I still know that I love you." Edward took a deep breath. "You've turned my world upside down and I'm never, ever going to let you go."

He raised himself up on his elbow with a look of determination on his face. "As soon as the third film is over, we're going to be together. We can live in New York, LA, London or all three, wherever you want to be. You're everything to me Bella, everything!" He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly, locked in a protective embrace, almost as if he was expecting someone to snatch her from him.

She looked up into his eyes that were damp with tears and then she realised she was crying too. She was dreading having to leave him tomorrow, to go back to her life in New York, while Edward was thousands of miles away in LA. She needed him, she wanted him, and she loved him.

Their mouths met in a passionate kiss as Edward covered her body with his and pressed himself against her entrance. They both felt the desperate need to be connected again and as he slid inside her, she buried her face in his neck, wrapped her arms around his back and her legs around his hips.

His movements were gentle and reverent and they whispered words of love and encouragement to each other as this time they were truly making love. After their silent but equally intense release, they lay on their bed wrapped in each other's embrace, until sleep took them.

Life could not get any better than this.

* * *

Kate got up and disappeared into the pantry and came back with another beer for Edward. He had been watching the badger scurry around the garden while he was telling Kate about when they had declared their love for each other. While she was getting the beer, he thought for a moment that he wouldn't mind coming back to Earth as a badger in his next life; just wander around, picking up food from here and there, not giving a fuck about anything.

"You miss her, don't you?" Kate asked. She had pulled an old rocking chair over and was doodling in that book of hers again.

"More than I could ever say in words" Edward replied. "It was bad enough when we were on opposite sides of the continent, but at least then we knew roughly when our next meeting would be and we could tick off the days. Now I don't know whether I will ever see her again."

Kate sat and waited for him to speak again. She didn't want to prompt him too much as he maybe would skip over talking about important parts of his story, so she sat quietly until he spoke.

"We travelled back to New York together because Tanya was taking a flight direct to LA, and then I got a connecting flight on. Leaving Bella at JFK was awful as we hadn't then made any firm arrangements to meet up then, but it actually happened quicker than I thought."

Edward took a long drink of his beer and carried on with his story.


	16. Chapter 16

When Bella got back to her office in New York, Mike asked her to come into his office straight away, but actually not before she made him a decent cup of coffee as he hadn't had a drinkable cup since she left.

Bella deposited it in front of him and sat down opposite wondering what was so urgent. She watched while he took a tentative sip of the freshly-made brew and then he sat back with a satisfied smile on his face. "Don't ever leave Bella, your coffee-making skills are second to none."

Bella laughed at the compliment but was anxious to get back to her desk, which had an in-tray to rival Barak Obama's.

"Good trip?" Mike said. "Did Edward behave himself?"

"Yes and Yes" Bella responded, getting a bit irritated now.

"Look Bella, we've had a bit of bad news. The 'money' behind Edward's film has pulled out, leaving us with a massive headache and an overdraft. They won't say why they have withdrawn, but something is going on because the funds were coming from three different sources and they all pulled out on the same day."

Bella looked shocked and confused. "But it was almost a done deal" she exclaimed. "What the hell happened?"

"I honestly don't know – none of them will say. I'm not panicking yet though as there was a lot of interest when we were trying to get backing before, so I am going to call some of the guys who expressed an interest a year ago and see if they are still willing."

"Does this mean the film won't be made this year then?" Bella asked. She knew Edward wanted to shoot this and have it in the bag before the premiere of the third film.

"I'm afraid so, I don't think we will be able to pull it together in time to hit the Director's window, so we will probably put it off until next year."

"Shit!" Bella said. She had been looking forward to working with Edward, but she would just have to be patient.

She got up and left Mike's office, not looking forward to breaking the news to Edward. She looked at her in-tray and wondered if they were hiring at Bloomingdales. "I'm going out for a bagel" she shouted to Mike. "D'you want one?"

"Allrighty!"

* * *

Bella had decided to wait until tomorrow to let Edward know about the film. He would be jet-lagged and she wanted to speak to him when he had managed to get a good rest after the flight. Even though they travelled first class, Edward couldn't sleep on a plane so she knew he would be tired.

Alice was in when she got home and she bounced around the living room wanting to know every detail of the trip to London, what happened with Edward, how big was his penis, the usual girly stuff. She had the wine and nibbles already waiting because she knew Bella talked unreservedly when she'd had a few.

Bella made Alice sit down because she was making her dizzy, and told her the whole tale, minus some of the more intimate moments, but ending with their declaration of love in bed.

Alice sat and listened open mouthed, in a state of shock, as whatever she imagined Bella's story to be, this one was so far from what she was expecting that she almost believed Bella was making it up.

"So you're telling me that James was in on Tanya's plot to fuck you over; Tanya is under the illusion that Edward is her boyfriend; Edward has a fucked up childhood and is being screwed by his parents; there's a PR cover up to explain the twitter picture; you and Edward have fallen in love and Edward has a fuck-hot best friend. Is that what you're saying?"

"In a nutshell, yes" Bella replied, quite amused and slightly drunk.

"Tell me more about the fuck-hot best friend then!"

They both burst out laughing and when they had calmed down, Bella told Alice about Jasper and what a good friend he had been to Edward. Alice was a bit disappointed to hear that he was a teacher in an inner-city school and not someone who could come to New York on a whim, so as they lived 3000 miles apart, it wasn't going to happen.

They stayed up late into the night talking about London and the lovely shops in Richmond that Bella had caught sight of. Alice was quite moved when Bella told her about Edward's grandmother, visiting her house and then going to the church so that he could lay roses from her garden on her grave and talk to her.

"I think I'm falling in love with him myself" Alice sniffed.

They staggered to bed at three in the morning, still giggling, but even though she was very drunk, the size of Edward's penis was still a mystery to Alice.

* * *

Edward landed at LAX and walked out of the terminal into brilliant sunshine and double the amount of paparazzi as normal. "So who's the new girl then Edward?" and a hundred different variations on that theme were yelled at him as he crossed the short distance between the automatic doors and his waiting car. He totally ignored them and climbed into the passenger seat and sped away from the airport.

He switched his phone on and a message from James popped up asking him to drive straight to his office when he landed. Edward leaned over and spoke to the driver. "Already taken care of Sir – on our way."

"No choice in the matter then" he muttered angrily. He wanted a shower as he had been travelling for fifteen hours, including the stopover at JFK. "I hope I stink."

The driver pulled up in front of James's offices and Edward got out of the air-conditioned car into the searing heat of LA. He strolled through the glass doors into the coolness of the marble floored foyer of James's building, which currently housed several agents and a few production companies; basically it was an office block dedicated to the film industry.

The elevator took him to the fifth floor and he was greeted by James's new receptionist who had blonde hair and big tits. Edward smirked to himself and wondered if this job was a payoff.

"Edward!" he heard James shout from his office and he walked straight in, throwing his backpack on the same coffee table where he had been shown the traitorous paperwork tying him to the series.

"Good flight?" James asked.

"Just get on with it James – I'm fucking tired and I need a shower so don't fuck about."

"Ok" he said, sensing Edward wasn't in the mood for joviality.

He handed Edward the press release that was going to be posted tonight, giving the world an explanation of the 'photograph'. Edward gave it a cursory glance and slung it on the coffee table.

"You could have e-mailed that to me – what else?" Edward was suspicious.

"The PR people want you to take Tanya out for dinner, a nice romantic restaurant, somewhere off the beaten track, where there will be a few people with convenient cell phones to take pictures and post on the internet – what do you think?"

"Fuck off!" Edward stood up and picked up his backpack. "If you think I'm going to spend an evening with that scheming bitch, you've got another think coming." Edward walked towards the door.

"Actually it's not a request Edward, it's an order."

"Ok James, you show me where it says in my fucking contract that I have to take Tanya out for dinner then – Christ Almighty."

James didn't say anything or move from his chair but watched Edward's body language as he hesitated in the doorway. He knew that Edward's mind was mulling over the reasons why he needed to do this. He had just run the gauntlet at the airport and no-one in the media was stupid enough to believe the press release that was going to be posted this evening. Edward was an intelligent guy and James knew that he would realise they needed something else to stop the rumours on the fan-sites, something that would keep the money rolling in at the box office in fact.

"Sit down" James ordered and went over to the cooler and got Edward a drink of iced water.

"Fuck it James – I can't do it" Edward said in desperation. "I want to gouge her eyes out when I see her, not sit making small talk for two hours."

"Just think of it as a rehearsal for the next film. There is usually a scene of the two of you in a restaurant plotting the next con or something – get yourself in that mind-set. You're an actor for fuck sake."

"If she touches me, I'm out of there" he said. James smiled, knowing he had won a battle he wasn't expecting to win.

* * *

Edward got back to his hotel and desperately wanted to talk to Bella, but they had agreed not to contact each other until the following day. He was missing her already and his thoughts went back to the tearful goodbye at JFK.

The first pre-production meeting for the third film was tomorrow, so he intended to get a good night's sleep as he needed to have his wits about him; these meetings were important as they set the tone for the whole film.

He showered and changed into his sweats, which made him feel a bit more human. He ordered room service and switched on the television to see what had been going on in the world while he was airborne.

The news was on and there were the usual stories about the economy, Afghanistan, plus a small earthquake in New Zealand, a bit of sport and the weather and then the entertainment news came on. The top story was 'the Tanyagate photograph' and the press release that had just fallen into the hands of the botoxed reporter who was standing outside a cinema showing the second film.

She read the handout word-for-word and asked viewers to visit their website to let them know if they believed the version that had been dished out to them. Edward could tell by the tone of her voice that she was sceptical, citing the fact that the 'birthday girl' hadn't yet come forward for her moment of fame, which in LA was unthinkable."

There was a knock at the door and the shout "Room Service." Edward let the guy in and tipped him on the way out. While he was eating his dinner it dawned on him, not for the first time, that he was an A-List Actor, worth millions, and here he was, sitting on his own in a hotel room in LA, eating Room Service meals, trapped because of a fucking photograph which meant that if he showed his face at any restaurant or bar this evening, he would attract so much attention that it wouldn't be worth attempting it. Showbiz was not all it cracked up to be.

He had no close friends in LA. He had plenty of acquaintances but no-one who he knew well enough, or trust enough, that he could just show up without notice and collapse on their sofa with a beer and a pizza. He missed Jasper and considered phoning him for a chat, but then realised it was the middle of the night in London by now so not such a good idea. In the end he was in bed by nine and asleep by ten.

* * *

He woke up early and went to the in-house gym for a run on the treadmill and then did fifty lengths of the pool, which was deserted except for an old man doing backstroke non-stop. He grabbed a bagel and coffee from the restaurant and went back to his room for a shower.

He was drying his hair with a towel when his cell rang. It was Bella and Edward threw the towel down and lay down on the bed to talk to her.

"Hi"

"Hi"

"You OK"

"Yes, I am now"

"How was your flight"

"Boring"

"What are you doing?"

"Lying on the bed with just a towel on"

"Wish I was there"

"Wish you were too"

Giggles

"How was work – is Mike OK?"

"Yes, but I need to tell you something"

"That doesn't sound good"

"It isn't"

Bella then told him about the backers pulling out of the film but Mike was hopeful he could pull some other people on board. If he didn't, he would stand to lose a lot of money because they had already invested a lot in the project.

"Shit – that sucks." Edward was starting to sound more American every day.

"Yes it does, but the other thing I have to tell you is that even if we got some more backers, we won't be able to film it until next year, because of all the legal stuff that has to be done beforehand."

"Oh crap! That really sucks."

"I know, I'm really sorry. The only good thing is that the Director is still keen and he's going to make sure he has time available next year – as long as you're involved."

"Really! That's good news then." Edward was quite taken with the fact that this famous Director was keen to work with him and that slightly sweetened the pill.

"I'll keep you informed Edward, as soon as I know anything"

"OK – umm, I have something to tell you"

"That doesn't sound good"

"It isn't"

"The PR people want me to be photographed taking Tanya out for dinner"

"Hope you told them no!"

"It's not that simple Bella"

"What!"

Edward went over the reason why he had agreed and mentioned the news programme this evening and the paps outside the airport.

"That sucks" Bella said but she was pleased that he had told her.

"Are you OK about it" Edward asked.

"Can't you just pretend you're rehearsing?"

"That's what James said"

"I'm ok about it – don't worry, I trust you" Bella laughed. If it had been anyone else she may have worried, but not Tanya, she knew Edward despised her.

"Alice wants to meet Jasper by the way"

"Oh really – we'd better set them up then"

"Bit difficult if he's in London"

"I'll get him over then – treat him to a weekend in The Big Apple"

"OK – I'll leave it you to make the arrangements"

"I miss you Bella"

"I miss you too Edward – I dreamt about you last night"

"Really – hope it was a good dream"

"Yes, it was a lovely dream"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"No"

"Bella I need to go, I've got a pre-production meeting in less than an hour"

"OK – can I call you tomorrow?"

"Yes, or I'll call you"

"I love you"

"I love you too"

Silence – Edward could hear a muffled sound on the other end of the phone.

"Are you crying?"

"(sniffs)"

"I'll call you tonight Bella"

"Bye"

"Bye"


	17. Chapter 17

Edward hung up and thought about what Bella had told him. He was upset about the film because he genuinely thought the money side of things was all sewn up and he really needed to have a quality film under his belt before he walked away from this series.

What really upset him though was Bella. He wasn't handling not having her around – he felt lost without her near him. She was obviously missing him as well, but he didn't want her anywhere near Tanya until after the final day of filming. That meant nearly five months of separation.

He got dressed and went down to the garage below the hotel and got into his Aston Martin. He looked forward to the time when he could take Bella for a drive up the Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara for the day or maybe to Monterey for the weekend.

He drove out into the bright sunshine towards the studio where the meeting was being held. He would be meeting the Director today and the majority of the production team. Scripts would be handed out, even though there were bound to be changes before shooting began. Some of the filming would be on location, so travel and accommodation arrangements would need to be agreed and dates put in diaries, even though they weren't cast in stone.

Edward pulled into the studio entrance but he refused to allow the valet to take his car, preferring to park it himself and walk the 100 yards or so to the meeting room. Tanya's car was already there; he could see her white Mercedes at the far end of the parking lot.

He walked into a room where coffee and tea was being served and was greeted warmly by the Director who he had not met before, who told him to call him Emmett and then he was introduced him to his team of film-makers. Edward was struck by how young they all were, either that or he was getting old.

They all sat down at a huge oval table in an adjoining room where story boards showing pencil drawings of scenes of the proposed film were pinned up on every wall. The meeting was due to start at ten, but at ten past there was still no sign of Tanya. By quarter past, Emmett had to send one of his assistants out to look for her and five minutes later Tanya appeared, totally unconcerned that she had kept everyone waiting for twenty minutes. Edward noticed that the assistant who had found her made a strange sign to Emmett with her hand and he nodded at her.

The meeting commenced and Emmett spoke first asking everyone to introduce themselves with their name and job title. Edward said "Edward Cullen – Actor" but when it got to Tanya she said "Well you all know who I am" in a haughty voice. Emmett ignored her and asked the script writer to give a brief outline of the plot, which he did by walking around the room pointing to the story boards. The assistant director spoke about the locations, the time frames etc., and the meeting finished with a question and answer session. The whole meeting was run extremely efficiently and Edward was impressed at the professionalism of the team around him.

The meeting lasted for nearly three hours and as Edward was getting ready to leave, one of the assistant directors came over to him and asked whether he would like to go to lunch with them at a restaurant in the hills. Edward was delighted to accept and after they gave him the location, he said he would meet them there.

After a three hour meeting and at least four cups of coffee, he needed to find the bathroom so he wandered down the corridor until he spotted the sign to the restrooms. On his way back to the main entrance he heard the raised voice of Emmett in one of the offices.

"I don't give a flying fuck who your father is – you don't turn up at one of my meetings late, and you don't come to any of my meetings stoned."

Edward hung back because this was a conversation he wanted to hear.

"How dare you speak to me like that – I'm the star of this film."

"Listen lady, actresses are ten-a-penny in this town. If you were run over by a bus tomorrow there would be a hundred girls queuing up who could easily fill your shoes."

"Rubbish, the fans come to see ME – the series would be nothing without me!"

Emmett laughed.

"You only got this job because your father owns the studio – I know it's not common knowledge you're his daughter, but I know, and I know without him you would just be another wannabe, working tables at a bar."

"I'm going to get you sacked for that."

"Just try it Tanya, and I'll make sure that word gets back to Daddy that you're a coke addict."

Tanya huffed.

"And if you're late one more time to meetings, to rehearsals, to make-up, on set, anything connected with this movie, I'll make sure Daddy knows. Now go and sort yourself out, you're a fucking mess – I want you clean by the time we start filming."

Tanya stormed out of the office and Edward watched as she jumped into her Mercedes without acknowledging the valet and roared off into the distance.

Edward tried to creep past the open door of the office but Emmett saw him and called him in.

"You heard that then?"

Edward nodded his head.

"Did you know she was a coke-head?"

"To be honest no" Edward responded. "I thought drink was her problem."

"Oh fuck – that's all I need, a leading lady with a drink AND drug habit."

Edward laughed grimly – "and she's a vindictive bitch as well, just watch your back."

"Jesus, anything else?"

"Well you've probably guessed we're not a couple, it's all in Tanya's head."

"Oh yes, I knew that – that's Hollywood bullshit. You're not the first, and you won't be the last."

"Really?"

"Yep – PR people do it when they want to cover up the fact that a star is gay – are you gay, not that it matters?"

"No, I'm straight."

"Great – fancy a beer?"

"I've been invited to the restaurant in the hills."

"Excellent, you can drive me there and then I can get shit-faced, I need it after today."

Edward laughed and they walked out to the car together. "Nice!" was Emmett's reaction when he saw the Aston. "I like a man with good taste."

"Are you gay then?"

"No for fuck sake – I'm not coming on to you."

"Only joking."

Edward drove up to the restaurant in the hills overlooking LA and spent a riotous afternoon in the company of a group of very clever and talented people. Because he was driving, he stayed sober, only allowing himself one beer and then he stuck to soda or mineral water. He hadn't enjoyed himself so much in years, apart from the weekend he had just had with Bella of course.

He was amazed at Emmett's Jekyll and Hyde character, whose persona this morning had been super-efficient and forthright, directing his troops like an army general, and now a few hours later he was absolutely legless. After consuming copious amounts of red wine, he was recounting to his team, and the other customers in the restaurant, amusing anecdotes from his years as an actor and then a director, thrown in with some rather indiscreet stories about his ex-wife and numerous girlfriends.

After several hours of eating and drinking, Edward made his excuses and left, but not before putting a couple of hundred bucks behind the bar to keep the party going.

Before he drove back to his hotel he called Bella from his cell.

"Hi"

"Hi"

"How was your meeting?"

"Great, really great. Emmett is a really nice guy and the team are really professional. I'm actually looking forward to doing the film now, which is totally opposite to how I felt this morning."

"How was Tanya?"

"A complete diva – she made herself look really stupid and Emmett tore her a new one after the meeting."

Bella laughed, imaging Tanya with two holes in her butt.

Edward kept the information to himself about her being a coke-user and her father owning the studio, which answered a lot of his questions about the cover up after the Bella incident two years ago. He would tell Bella that later when the time was right.

"Have you arranged your date yet?"

"No, James and Tanya's agent suggested leaving it for a few days as it would look too obvious doing it straight away."

"That seems reasonable."

"Any news on the money?"

"No, not yet, but Mike and Tyler have put the word out so hopefully we will hear something soon."

"OK"

"Where are you now?"

"Sitting in my car outside a restaurant in the hills. Emmett and the team are in there getting pissed."

"I thought you said they were professional?"

"Only before lunchtime I think."

"Have you been drinking?"

"No, well only one beer but that was about five hours ago. Anyway, I'll let you get to bed."

"OK"

"I love you Bella, sweet dreams."

"I love you too Edward, drive safely."

Edward drove home carefully, not being tempted to test the car around the slightly curvier than normal roads compared to the dead straight boring roads of LA. He hadn't been drinking but he was tired and he had a lot of new information muddling his brain. Who was Tanya's father for one thing and why did no-one know she was his daughter?

He drove down the ramp to the underground garage and parked his car in his designated space. He picked up the script and filming schedule and went up to his room, wondering why the hell he was still living in a hotel after two years in LA.

After ordering a sandwich and a couple of beers from room service (now he remembered why he lived in a hotel), he settled down to go through the script, hoping and praying that there weren't too many love scenes.

It was quite a clever plot involving art thieves, the criminal underworld, glamorous locations, speed boats, fast cars etc., with most of the filming being done in the studio but there would be a few days filming in Niagara and then New York, as one of the final scenes took place on the Staten Island Ferry and then Brooklyn Bridge and Emmett wanted authenticity rather than relying on green screens.

He fell asleep with the script on his chest feeling a bit more cheerful than this morning, looking forward to seeing Bella again in New York.

* * *

The next morning James called him to tell him that the date had been arranged for that evening. They would arrive at the restaurant in separate cars, so as to maintain the story that they were trying to keep their private life private. They would have a friendly kiss in the car park and then walk into the restaurant together. They would stay there for about two hours, laughing and joking, and then go their separate ways.

Edward huffed and put the phone down heavily, resolving to spend a few hours in the gym to make himself nice and sweaty and then not bother to shower or use a deodorant so he was nice and stinky when they met up. Then he thought about the other diners and shelved that idea.

His mind went back to a day on set when Tanya couldn't stop sneezing and they had worked out it was Edward's Issey Miyake aftershave that was causing the problem. Excellent! Edward rubbed his hands with glee and went looking for the offending bottle – Bingo!

Edward spent the rest of the day reading his script, going to the gym and talking to his 'personal shopper' who bought his clothes for him because he found it impossible to wander around Malls any more. He spoke to Bella on the phone twice, warning her about the pictures that were going to appear on the fan-sites and everywhere else tomorrow. She had some good news for Edward as Mike had been approached by someone who was interested in financially backing the film, so things were looking up.

Edward got ready for the date and rather than rub the aftershave on his face, he sprinkled it on the sweater that was going to dangle casually over his shoulders. He had not shaved since he left London and his stubble was now quite prominent and gave him a rugged appearance, which he quite liked in a non-vain sort of way. He gave himself a final look in the mirror to check that he didn't look as if he was making an effort, picked up his car keys and left for his date from hell.

He arrived before Tanya and he could see a photographer lurking in the bushes at the side of the car park. He pretended not to notice him and sat listening to music waiting for the arrival of Cruella de Ville.

She roared up only five minutes late and flounced out of her car. She was wearing too tight white trousers and a slightly see-through floaty top, which was actually quite nice but would have looked better with a bra underneath! Edward got out of his car, picking up his sweater, and walked over to meet her.

"Edward!" she shrieked and rushed over to him, flinging her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Edward heard the click of a camera behind him and grimaced. "Hi Tanya" he said through gritted teeth and took her by the hand and walked into the restaurant.

The maitre'd showed them to their table which was beautifully situated next to an open window overlooking the valley below. In the enclosed garden in front of them, tubs and window boxes had been planted with exotic flowers that relished the Californian sun and bougainvillea grew up the stone walls of the garden and the building. It was a very pretty place, and would be quite romantic in the right circumstances.

Edward looked at his menu and scanned it for anything that had been prepared in garlic. He had draped his sweater around his shoulders, but Tanya hadn't reacted yet – damn it.

His eyes scanned the restaurant and he spotted at least two people who had their I-phones out, snapping away. Normally he would be extremely irritated but it was actually quite liberating this time not to give a shit.

Tanya was struggling with the menu as the waiter came over to take their order, as she was too vain to wear her glasses which Edward knew she needed. Edward ordered snails followed by filet mignon with garlic potatoes and a bottle of Rioja. Tanya, after assistance from the waiter, ordered prawns to start followed by grilled lamb cutlets. The wine waiter came over and did the usual performance of showing the bottle to Edward and letting him taste it, before filling Tanya's glass and then Edward's. Edward wouldn't have been able to tell whether it was a good bottle or not, but went on with the game anyway.

When the waiter left, they touched glasses (click, click) and Edward took a sip. He had decided to only have one glass from the bottle as he needed to be on his guard, so he put the glass down and filled a tumbler with water.

"So, what are we going to talk about Tanya?"

"Well I hope we can be friends again."

"We will never be friends after what you did to that girl on set, you vindictive bitch." He smiled sweetly at her as he said it (click, click).

"Oh, get over that – it was two years ago, move on. Of course you have moved on, haven't you? You've got a 'girlfriend'."

"Yes, I have thank you." (Arms on table, leaning slightly towards the witch) (click, click).

"So where is she then?"

"A long way from here and from you."

Their conversation was interrupted by the waiter bringing their first course. Tanya looked in disgust at Edward's plate of snails, swimming in garlic.

"God, how can you eat those?"

"Yummy!" he responded. He removed his sweater from his shoulders and gave it a shake and then put it on the back of his chair.

The waiter shot over to their table. "Would Sir like me to take that?" he said, pointing to the sweater.

"No, it's fine here thank you." Edward smiled at the waiter then turned his attention to the snails, and after prising the first one from its shell and dabbing it into the garlic butter, allowed it to slip down his throat like an oyster. "Fucking fantastic" he lied.

Tanya gagged and was just about to put the first prawn in her mouth when she sneezed.

"Bless you!" Edward said automatically and then covered his mouth with his napkin to hide the smirk that had planted itself on his face.

They carried on eating their first course which would have been in silence if Edward hadn't commented on the perfection of each buttery snail that he consumed with words like Magnifico! Superb! The dog's bollocks (a British expression)! Tanya sneezed twice more and the waiter brought some tissues over so that she could wipe her nose and eyes.

"Something in here is making me sneeze" she hissed. "Are you wearing that fucking aftershave again?"

"You may have noticed Tanya that I haven't shaved for three days" Edward said innocently. "Would you like to lean over and have a sniff?"

Tanya and Edward both leaned over the table and she sniffed his chin (click, click) and sat down satisfied that it wasn't Edward.

"It must be these fucking flowers." She gestured to the window box and beckoned for the waiter to come over.

"Yes Ma'am."

"These flowers are making me sneeze" she said, pointing to the window box. "Get rid of them."

"I'm sorry Ma'am, but the window box is a permanent fixture. I can shut the window for you?"

"Do it" she grunted.

Edward saw the waiter's eyes roll up towards heaven. He waved at another waiter for some help and asked Edward and Tanya to get up while they moved their table in order to gain access to the window. Edward picked his sweater off the chair and gave it another little shake, before they sat down again. The waiter refilled Tanya's glass and cleared their plates. Tanya sneezed again.

"This is fucking ridiculous" she said, as tears started pouring down her face. Edward reached over with his napkin and dabbed her face with it, (click, click), while trying to stop the uncontrollable urge to burst out laughing.

Their main courses arrived and Edward got stuck into his steak. He found that chewing on something helped him contain his mirth. Tanya's eyes were really beginning to puff up now and she started rummaging in her bag for her sunglasses, and then she realised she had left them in her car.

"I've got to get out of this fucking place" she said. "Look at me."

"I'd rather not" Edward said with a mouthful of filet.

"You planned this, didn't you?"

"I didn't book the restaurant you stupid cow – have a go at James and your agent, not me."

"I'm leaving."

"Do you want to walk out of here on your own then? That's going to look really good in the tabloids isn't it?"

Tanya saw the sense in this and sat back in her chair, sulking.

Edward gestured to the waiter and asked for the check, explaining that Tanya needed to leave to get some antihistamines for her allergy. After a few minutes the waiter returned and said that the check had already been taken care of by Tanya's agent.

Tanya got up and walked haughtily through the restaurant, still sneezing every five seconds. More phones and cameras were clicking as they made their way out and as the restaurant door closed behind them, Edward heard roars of laughter coming from inside. Edward gallantly helped Tanya into her car (click, click) and watched as she roared off down the hill, the car veering from side to side a bit as she obviously had carried on sneezing at the wheel.

Edward casually walked back to his car and climbed in, sat there for a few seconds, and then burst into howls of laughter. He couldn't wait to get back to his hotel to phone Bella.


	18. Chapter 18

Because of unusually heavy evening traffic in the city, he didn't get back to his hotel until after ten thirty which meant it was half past one in the morning in New York. He was tempted to phone Bella but decided that he didn't want to wake her. He lay on the bed thinking about the disastrous date and couldn't resist another chuckle.

His cell phone rang, it was James.

"Back so soon – thought you two would be all loved up by now." James thought his joke was quite funny. "Seriously how did it go?"

"You'll get your photos James, that's what you wanted."

"Yeah, but did you bury the hatchet, I mean have you guys made up?"

"Believe me James, if there had been a hatchet nearby, I would have been tempted to use it and then your main source of income would be serving life, courtesy of the State of California."

"That bad then?"

"Yep."

Edward related to James what had happened in the restaurant so that he was forewarned, leaving out of course the valuable contribution of his Partner in Crime 'Issey Miyake'. James couldn't help laughing, picturing the sight of Tanya sashaying out of the restaurant, tits wobbling every time she sneezed.

"Lucky her agent booked the restaurant then, would like to be a fly on the wall when Tanya gets her claws in him" James snorted and another vision of Tanya losing it flashed in front of him.

Edward hadn't told James about his conversation with Emmett about Tanya's habit. No matter what he thought of Tanya, he wasn't a gossip, but he wanted to keep this gem of information close to him for future use if the need arose. He finished his conversation with James, promising to check the internet tomorrow morning for the scoops.

* * *

The following morning he was woken by his cell, which was next to his ear on the bed.

"You bastard! You told me you hated her! You complete and utter shit!"

"Bella!" he shrieked, now completely wide awake and already half out of bed. "I told you it was a set up." Edward was in a blind panic. "Honestly, nothing happened."

"Yeah I know" Bella said, giggling. "Good pictures though – very convincing."

"Oh Jesus, you scared the shit out of me." Edward collapsed onto the bed and lay there while he regained his composure. "You should be a fucking actress – I would like to take you across my knee and spank you for that."

"Hmm ... maybe later."

"What!"

"Guess what?"

"I don't know, what?"

"I'm coming to LA! Mike is meeting a guy who wants to back the film and he lives in LA and he wants me to come with him!" Bella shrieked and Edward had to hold the phone away from his ear.

"When?"

"On Thursday night, we will land at LAX in the evening and the meeting is on Friday. Mike is going to fly back on Friday night and he says I can stay on, as long as I am back in the office on Monday morning" Bella squealed again.

"That's fantastic Bella, I didn't think I would see you for weeks."

"Me too, anyway, what happened on the date and why did you kiss her at the table?"

"I didn't kiss her."

"Sure looks like it to me."

"She was sniffing me."

"Excuse me?"

Edward told her the story, which took him ages as Bella was crying with laughter, saying at the end that she couldn't wait to tell Alice. She was on her lunch break and needed to get back to the office so they agreed to talk later.

Edward hung up, not believing he would see Bella in two days and then after her meeting, he would have Friday night, all day Saturday and a bit of Sunday with her. He had woken up with the usual morning wood, which had got harder while he was talking to Bella, now he was rock hard in anticipation of the weekend, so he staggered into the bathroom and dealt with it in the shower.

Today he had an early appointment with the costume designers who had offices near the studios, so he grabbed the usual bagel and coffee from the restaurant and consumed them when he was on his way. He didn't normally eat in his car, but he didn't want to be late – unpunctuality for no good reason being one of his pet hates.

The two gay guys (how cliché) who were the main designers, were great fun and Edward had a pleasant morning listening to them enthusiastically interact as they described how they 'visualised him' in this film – slightly more rugged than before (they liked the stubble) and a few more leather jackets and nice belts on the jeans. Cowboy boots were suggested but Edward passed on those.

They had lunch together in a local restaurant that was run by one of their gay friends and Edward ended up having an interesting and very enjoyable day.

When he got back to the hotel he had his first opportunity to look at the pictures of Tanya and himself on the internet. He was amazed at the stories that had been concocted just from a few photographs, but the main gist was that:

**Edward and Tanya met at a romantic restaurant in the hills where they greeted each other with a passionate kiss.** (Picture of Tanya kissing Edward with arms around neck and Visible Panty Line showing quite unflatteringly – Tanya's going to be pissed)

**They walked hand in hand to the best table in the restaurant that Edward had specifically asked for as it was surrounded by flowers **(Picture of Edward / Tanya / window box)

**They ordered champagne and they toasted each other with loving glances** (hardly loving and the picture shows red wine in ordinary wine glasses, not champagne flutes, the restaurant is going to be pissed)

**During the meal they spontaneously leaned over the table for a kiss** (the sniffing picture actually did look as though they were kissing, admittedly)

**Tanya was upset but Edward reassured her that the picture taken in London was just a bit of fun** (picture of Edward dabbing Tanya's face with napkin – do the readers honestly think there was a spy under the table or a microphone dangling above – Jesus)

**Edward cut the meal short because Tanya was allergic to the flowers and Edward was anxious to get her back home** (pictures of Edward and Tanya leaving restaurant and Edward helping her into her car)

**Edward left a few minutes after Tanya **(because he was laughing too much to drive)** and then followed her car back to her condo! ** (Oh yeah, and where are the pictures of that then)?

Edward called Bella; she was at home now after a busy day preparing for the meeting on Friday. They chatted about the photos and the reaction to them on the internet. The fan-sites were quite relieved that Edward and Tanya might still be an item, or good friends at least, but the more sceptical media sites were yet to be convinced.

Edward asked Bella what she wanted to do while she was in LA to which she replied that she hoped they would be able to get out of bed for at least an hour or so. Edward said he would think about it and she wasn't to forget, he owed her a spanking!

They said goodnight and exchanged "I love you's" and both ticked off the hours and minutes in their heads until they would be together again.

* * *

The following morning he was woken by his cell, which was next to his ear on the bed.

"So you've come out now?"

"What?"

"Apparently you're gay."

"What are you talking about Bella?" Edward was totally confused and waited for Bella's punch line like yesterday.

"Look on the internet – there's pictures of you coming out of a well-known gay restaurant with two gay guys."

"Oh Shit!"

"I think it's fucking hilarious" Bella said, laughing.

"Oh Jesus, James is going to go ape." Edward ran his hands through his hair, he was obviously stressed.

"I think a bit of damage-limitation is due, don't you?" Bella suggested helpfully.

"Oh, what the fuck. Who fucking cares nowadays? I'd much rather admit to being gay than Tanya's boyfriend."

"I'll leave you to it then Edward" Bella giggled. As an afterthought she said. "If anyone wants a testimonial to prove that you're not gay, just give them my details, as I still have a few marks on my body from last weekend if they insist on evidence."

"Thanks Bella, but I don't think that will be necessary."

"I'm at work, so I'd better go. Have a nice day!"

Ten minutes letter his cell rang again, it was James.

"What-the-fuck ..."

"They are the costume designers from the movie, we went for lunch, deal with it" Edward said and pressed the end button and then turned the phone off completely.

He had a meeting with his financial advisor planned for the afternoon so he went to the gym in the morning and then drove to his favourite barber for a haircut and a manicure. He preferred to go every two weeks for a trim so that his hair looked the same all the time but had been forced to leave it for three weeks this time because of being away.

After half an hour of being ribbed by his stylist about his sexual preferences, he made it to the finance meeting with a few minutes to spare. Victoria was a straight to the point, no small talk person which is why Edward liked her. She went over his portfolio with him and asked him to sign some documents regarding tax and that sort of shit. He trusted her to look after his interests and was happy to leave everything financial in her capable hands.

As he went out of the door she wished him luck with the next film. "If this movie does as well as the last two, you need never work again, you know that don't you?"

"I'm tempted Victoria, I don't know how much more I can take of this bullshit town."

"Good luck" she said with an encouraging smile.

* * *

When Edward got back to the hotel, the fan-sites had gone into meltdown until Kirk, one of the costume designers, gave a brief interview to a radio station over the phone, where he talked about their meeting yesterday, which was the reason they were in the restaurant. He heard later that the restaurant did very well out of the free publicity, as Edward's gay following just had to visit the place in the hope he would show up again.

The final day before Bella's arrival was the first rehearsal with the stunt co-ordinators and a brief meeting with Emmett, who had, he admitted, taken until the evening of the next day after the drinking-binge to sober up! He assured Edward that wasn't his usual everyday behaviour, explaining it was his custom to have a 'break-the-ice' drinking session with his team at the start of every film.

Mike and Bella had arranged to meet Edward at their hotel. They had booked two rooms for tonight only, as Bella would be staying at Edward's after that. They arrived five minutes before Edward and Mike was checking in at the desk when he spotted Edward walking towards them at a rate of knots. Edward grabbed Bella around her waist and swept her off her feet, planting a kiss on her lips as her legs dangled in the air.

"Hi Mike" Edward said and shook his hand, while Bella was still a foot off the ground.

"Jesus, Edward, why don't I get a welcome like that?"

Edward smiled and grabbed Bella's key. "You're too tall. See you at dinner Mike" and sprinted to the elevator with Bella running behind him.

Edward launched himself at her as they travelled up to her floor; it was a relief for him to be able to kiss Bella properly but it was also partly to hide his face from the surprised guests who were in the enclosed space with them and were trying not to look. Fortunately they only saw the back of his head and didn't recognise him.

When they reached the room their clothes were off in seconds. Bella slid up the bed and Edward climbed on top of her and was inside her in an instant, no foreplay, just an immediate connection that they were both desperate for. His mouth closed over hers and their tongues entwined as her fingers buried themselves in his hair and her legs wrapped around him, holding him to her as tightly as she could.

"God, I've missed you so much" Edward said, his voice muffled by her hair.

"Me too, I love you Edward, I can't stand being so far away from you" Bella responded as she massaged his scalp and tugged his hair.

Edward started to move inside her and it wasn't long before they both climaxed together and lay on the bed recovering, staring into each other's eyes in wonder.

Edward was just thinking of getting up when there was a bang at the door which made them both jump. "Your bags Ma'am"

"Just leave them there please" Bella shouted and then lay back down on the bed chuckling.

Edward rolled over on to his side and looked at her. "I can't believe you're here. I'm sorry I sprung myself on you like that but I needed you so much."

"That's OK Edward – it was the best welcome a girl could ask for."

She rolled off the bed and walked into the bathroom and threw a robe at Edward. "Can you get my bags please? I need a shower before dinner."

Edward put the robe on and hauled Bella's case in. "Christ, how much stuff does she need for a weekend he thought."

Bella stepped into the shower and Edward joined her, massaging body wash into her muscles that were aching from the long flight. He insisted on drying her body with a large fluffy towel as he sat on the side of the bath but couldn't resist sucking her nipples when she was facing him and she had to remind him that they were having dinner with Mike in fifteen minutes.

They had a pleasant evening with Mike who was enthusiastic about the meeting tomorrow. He didn't know much about the man they were meeting or the company who wanted to invest in the film, but money was money and he had received no other offers to speak of.

"What's the story with you two?" he asked waving his finger at Bella and Edward. "I'm not prying but Bella is the best assistant I've ever had, and if you're thinking of stealing her from me I might have to fight you for her." He said the last few words in a low growl.

"To be honest I don't know Mike" Edward responded. "Bella and I have a connection that has taken us both by surprise. At the moment we're taking each day as it comes. Can we leave it like that?"

Bella nodded in agreement and squeezed Edward's knee under the table.

"OK lovebirds. I'm not going to be a third wheel any longer. You two have a great evening. See you tomorrow morning Bella, in Reception at 9.30 please." Mike stood up and went over to sit at the bar to get a nightcap while Edward and Bella went back up to their room to make up for lost time.


	19. Chapter 19

The next morning Edward watched Bella get ready for the meeting as he lay in bed with his hands behind his head. They had arranged to meet for lunch at Edward's favourite burger bar that overlooked the ocean and while Bella was with Mike, Edward would take all of her belongings back to his hotel. Luckily no movie business was planned for today so he was a free agent.

"Have a nice day at the office honey" he joked and then jumped out of bed, totally naked, and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips.

"Behave yourself" she laughed and then shouted "Love you" as she closed the door.

Edward had a quick shower then put everything of Bella's back in her bags and wheeled them down to the parking lot. He just managed to squeeze her case into the Aston Martin's trunk so he put her coat and carry-on bag on the front seat. He drove back to his hotel, spent an hour in the gym and then got ready to meet Mike and Bella.

They arrived at the restaurant at the same time and were shown to a table overlooking the beach. Mike was quieter than usual and Bella gave Edward a meaningful look as if to say "Don't ask", so he didn't.

They ordered beer and burgers and after their drinks arrived, Mike related what had happened at the meeting.

The guy they were dealing with was called Jacob. The company he represented was a subsidiary of a multi-national company who were branching out into other areas, one of them being the film industry, as the returns on investments lately had been phenomenal. The subsidiary had not been set up for long but the main company had been around for years. This was an investment, pure and simple. They had done their homework and considered that the reputation of the director and screenwriter who were already attached to the film meant it was worth taking a risk. Mike had been shown their company accounts and even though he wasn't an expert, he could tell that providing the funds would not be an issue.

"But there is something wrong, isn't there?" Edward could pick up that Mike was not entirely happy.

"I can't put my finger on it Edward, there's something not right here but it's just a gut instinct. Maybe I'm getting cynical in my old age."

Edward and Bella looked at him while he was deep in thought.

"Jacob wouldn't say how he got to know about the film, he kept avoiding the question. Apart from that everything seemed to be above board. I've asked him to get his legal people to liaise with my legal people and then we will go from there. Nothing is signed or sealed yet."

Their burgers arrived then and Mike and Edward munched their man-size cheeseburger and fries while Bella had a veggie burger and salad.

After lunch Edward asked whether any other investors had come forward.

"Not one" Mike said, "So these guys might be the last-chance saloon, not just for the film, but for Empty Productions as well."

"Is it as bad as that?" Edward asked, astonished. He was fully aware that production companies were always walking a financial tightrope, but Empty had had some successes in the past and he thought they were as secure as any independent production company could be.

"If the movie gets made we'll be fine, but if it doesn't, well we've already invested a lot of bucks in it and the bank will probably pull the rug out from underneath us and then it's Goodnight Vienna.

Mike grimaced and then he gave them both a big smile.

"Well, we'll worry about that when it happens." He stood up to go. "Thanks for lunch Edward. You're right; my burger came straight from heaven. You guys have a great weekend and don't forget, I want her back on Monday, fit for work if you please." He gave Edward a knowing wink, shook his hand, gave Bella a kiss on the cheek and went over to the bar to ask them to call a cab for him.

Edward and Bella strolled out to the Aston. It was another beautiful Californian afternoon and Edward took her for a drive up the coast towards Santa Barbara and into the hills behind the lovely town. They bought sodas at a drive through and parked overlooking the ocean until the sun went down and then they drove back to Edward's hotel.

Bella was tired, it had been a long day for her and she was still on New York time. They showered together and lay on the bed, wrapped in soft robes. Edward had ordered room service and they shared a margherita pizza and a couple of beers. They had all day Saturday and a bit of Sunday to look forward to, so they cuddled up close in bed and drifted off into a contented sleep together.

* * *

_**While Edward and Bella were cruising up Highway 1, Jacob telephoned his boss to report on the meeting.**_

_**"How did it go" his boss said.**_

_**"Fine – I think I convinced them."**_

_**"How long can we string this out?"**_

_**"Oh I'm sure our legal team can stretch this out for months – don't worry."**_

_**"This has got to work, your ass is on the line on this one Jacob."**_

_**"It'll work – and when it does I want a big reward do you hear."**_

_**"You'll get your reward, and it won't be in dollars."**_

* * *

Edward woke up to the feel and smell of Bella's hair that was all over his face and chest. She was still out for the count and so he took full advantage of looking at her body while she was sleeping. They had both slept naked and so he had an unbroken view of every inch of her small but womanly frame. She was a perfect hourglass with a tiny waist; her breasts were small, soft and round with dark nipples. Her skin was pale with a few freckles here and there and she had a small birthmark in the shape of a heart on her hip. When he first saw it he thought it was a tattoo, but it was part of her and he loved it, in fact he wanted to kiss it, so he did.

Bella woke to the sight of Edward kissing her hip and his face practically in her crotch. She stroked her fingers through his silky hair to let him know she was awake and he grinned sheepishly at her like a child with his hand in the cookie-jar.

"Hi" she said.

"Um, hi. I was just kissing your heart."

"My heart is here" she said pointing to her chest.

"My mistake" Edward said smirking and then launched himself at her left breast, taking practically the whole of it in his mouth.

They rolled around playfully on the bed until Edward's erection found its way into her while Bella was straddling him and pretending to hold him down. This was the first time she had properly been on top and she felt the burn between her legs almost immediately. She had sat upright on him the first time they had sex, but she had been exhausted then. This time she was in control and Edward saw a look in her eye that would have stopped Margaret Thatcher in her tracks.

She held his arms down by the side of his head and gyrated on top of him causing Edward's eyes to roll back in ecstasy. He put his knees up so his feet were by his buttocks which had the effect of forcing himself deeper inside her. She moved up and down and round and round as Edward cried out in pleasure.

He felt his own burn starting to grow and he gripped her hips to hold her still, ramming himself deep inside her again and again from below. Bella cried out in pain and pleasure at the power behind his thrusts and straightened her body above his, throwing her arms behind her head giving him full access to her breasts. With his final thrusts he let go of her hips and placed his hands on her breasts squeezing them hard. Bella shrieked out because of the intensity of the sensations overwhelming her, and as Edward stilled, she felt his cum explode inside her.

She collapsed on his chest, feeling the sweat from his exertions chill under her fingertips. Edward pushed her hair from her face and looked at her with concern. "You didn't come, did you?" Bella shook her head "Don't worry, you were wonderful Edward, but it can't happen every time – I'm new to this remember?"

"Hmm" Edward mused. "I think you need taking care of."

They were still intimately connected so Edward carefully rolled them onto their sides and placed his hand between their bodies. He started rubbing Bella gently at first, sliding his fingers through her sensitive folds and touching where they were joined. He gradually picked up the pace and soon Bella was clinging to him and whimpering his name while he buried his face in her hair and kissed and sucked the soft skin on her neck and on her ears, leaving tiny love bites.

He could sense her impending climax and he felt the urge to move inside her again while still rubbing and massaging the sensitive spot between her legs. She gripped him tightly as her body shuddered and cried out as her orgasm took control of her being. Edward felt her walls grip his cock and he came again, pulsing into her limp but welcoming body. Exhausted, they wrapped themselves in each other's arms and after whispering words of love to each other, they both fell asleep again.

They were woken by Edward's cell phone about an hour later. Edward answered the call with a grunt that was a combination of hello/yeah/hi/what-the-fuck rolled into one. He tried to sit up while trying to see with his bleary eyes who was calling.

"Is that you Edward?" A male voice was wondering whether he had got the correct number or a trained chimp at the zoo.

"Yes, who the fuck is this?"

"Your director!"

"Oh fuck – Hi Emmett."

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes ... No it's fine, go ahead."

"I was just phoning to see if you were free this evening for dinner at mine?"

Edward had to think quickly. "I'd like to but I've got a friend from New York staying with me for the weekend."

"That's OK you can bring him too."

"It's a her."

"Oh I am interrupting something then!"

"She's asleep."

"No I'm not" said a now wide-awake Bella.

Edward put his hand over his cell. "Do you want to have dinner with Emmett tonight?"

Bella nodded vigorously.

"Thanks we would love to come, tell me where and when."

Emmett gave Edward his address which was in Laurel Canyon and told him to 'rock up' anytime between six and seven. "Get a cab" was his parting shot – meaning I fully intend getting you wrecked tonight.

Edward put his arm around Bella and gave her a squeeze. "Are you OK with this – do you mind spending our last evening this weekend with Emmett?"

Bella put her head to one side as though she was thinking hard. "I'm sure Mike and Tyler will be thrilled I have 'networked' the famous Emmett McCarty so it's good on that front. Anyway I'm going to make him promise me that your love scenes with Tanya will be one-take only's, even if she accidentally on purpose fucks them up."

Edward laughed and gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead. "Come on girl – shower."

He jumped out of bed and went round to her side and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder and marching into the shower. The water was freezing cold and Bella screamed blue murder as Edward slapped her hard on her bottom as he held her under the icy waterfall. "That reminds me" he said as he held tightly onto her wriggling frame, totally ignoring her fists pummelling his back and her teeth sinking into his shoulder. "I owe you a good spanking for winding me up after the date with Tanya."

The water warmed up and Edward allowed Bella to slide down his body until they were standing face to face.

"I hate you" she said and kissed him passionately on the lips.

It was a very long shower.

* * *

They eventually left the room and Edward gave Bella a short tour of some of the parts of LA she hadn't seen before. He showed her the Chinese Theatre and the Walk of Fame and then they cruised slowly down Rodeo Drive before arriving at Venice Beach and Muscle Beach to see the ripped and toned bodies of the LA 'wannabees' posing and strutting their stuff on the wide sidewalks.

Bella couldn't help staring at some of the beautiful girls who were strolling along the beach in tiny bikinis and she felt totally inadequate in their presence. Edward sensed her discomfort and kissed her on the top of the head.

"It's all fake" he said. Most of these girls have had work done and are so obsessed with their appearance that's all they think about. They're not worth knowing. You're naturally beautiful, that's what guys really like.

Bella put her arms around his waist and hugged him. "Thanks" she whispered.

They went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. They both dressed casually in jeans – Bella put on an Asian-print floaty blouse and wore her hair loose, making her look like a 1960's hippy, which actually was the right attire for Laurel Canyon. Edward wore a white open neck shirt and a light jacket. They took Emmett's advice and got a cab to his house and Bella enjoyed the drive out to the Canyon, gazing in awe at some of the weird and wonderful houses, while Edward told her about some of the famous but now dead people who had lived there, like Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix.

They arrived slightly early and the cab stopped outside Emmett's house just as the automatic gates were opening. An expensive-looking sports car was pulling out of the drive as Edward was helping Bella out of the cab. He looked up to see who was driving and caught a brief glimpse of a blonde woman in large sunglasses and a headscarf behind the wheel of a red Mercedes convertible as she turned right swiftly onto the road and drove past them in an obvious hurry.

Bella saw his eyes follow the car. "What is it?" she asked, noting Edward's confused expression.

"I'm sure that was Rosalie" he said and scratched his head.

"James's Rosalie?"

"Yes, James's wife."

"Oh!"

"Best not say anything."

"OK ...why not?"

"I'd rather Emmett not know that I know she was here for the moment – might be a bit awkward."

OK – I'll follow your lead. There might be a good reason why she was here though."

"I doubt it" Edward said with a faint laugh.


	20. Chapter 20

They waited at the gate for a few minutes and watched the gates close, then Edward pressed the security panel and heard Emmett speaking a welcome down the intercom. The gates opened again and they walked hand in hand down the long drive lined with exotic plants and the occasional water feature. The house was Mediterranean in style with white walls and a red tiled roof. The main door and all the windows were arched and had window boxes overflowing with red and pink geraniums. Emmett was waiting for them by the huge oak front door – either that or he was still there from waving Rosalie or her doppelganger off.

"Buenas Tardes" he said, waving his hand to beckon them inside. "Buona Sera" replied Bella responding in Italian to his Spanish welcome.

"Good Evening" Edward laughed as languages were not his strong point at school, and shook Emmett's hand.

Emmett looked at Bella and then took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth for a kiss. "Bella – an appropriate name for a beautiful girl – come inside." He took Bella by the arm and linked it into his as they walked through the house towards the internal courtyard.

The house was stunning – all the internal walls were plain white contrasting with the deep golden brown wooden floors that were the colour of treacle. Heavy pieces of dark furniture were dotted here and there and all the chairs and soft furnishings were deep red, either plain or patterned. On the wall in the main room was a floor to ceiling painting of a matador and the Spanish theme continued out into the courtyard, where a table and chairs were centred on a large island surrounded on three sides by a huge pond and more exotic Mediterranean plants and flowers.

The house had three wings surrounding the courtyard with the fourth side opening up onto a glorious view of the Canyon. They sat at the table while Emmett poured his own version of Sangria into some very large wine glasses and they sat and watched the sun going down. As it got darker, lights from houses further down in the valley appeared and twinkled through the trees as night fell.

"This is heavenly" Bella said, feeling very tipsy already. This drink was nothing like the Sangria she and Alice had drunk in Orange Square in Marbella when they were travelling around Spain. You could drink a jug full of that stuff and still not get squiffy she recalled, well maybe not.

When the temperature started to drop they went inside. Emmett's chef had made paella, which was to die for. Edward had forgotten to tell Emmett that Bella was vegetarian, but she managed to avoid the small amounts of meat in the communal dish and instead had two servings of just the rice and vegetables with the occasional bit of fish that she couldn't avoid.

They talked about the movie and the rehearsals that were starting in earnest next week. Emmett was pleased with how things were going so far and was eager to get onto the next stage. He had a long talk with Bella about the difficulties production companies were having attracting investors and Edward was overcome with a sense of pride while he was watching Bella having a meaningful, intelligent discussion with this famous director, noting that he was totally conversing with her as an equal.

Bella was so far above all the girls he had met before that he wondered why he had wasted time and effort on her vacuous predecessors. Bella was in a different league and he watched in awe as she held her own with Emmett, every so often locking eyes with Edward to let him know that he was in her thoughts constantly.

As the evening went on and more and more alcohol was consumed, the thorny question of Edward and Tanya's impending love scenes was mentioned by a now quite bold Bella, who had stumbled over to Emmett and had plumped herself next to him on his sofa, taking hold of his shirt with both hands.

"Now look Emmett – I love Edward and I fucking hate Tanya. I want you to promise me ... look at me when I'm talking to you Emmett ... I want you to promise me that you'll look after my baby and not let Tanya Fucking Denali kiss him more times than is ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY! Do you hear me Emmett?"

"Yes Bella, I hear you" Emmett replied, amused and very drunk.

Edward sat opposite them beaming from ear to ear at the image in front of him, his tiny Bella 'threatening' this bear of a man. He hadn't had this much to drink in years but was sober enough to take on board that the tigress currently defending his honour was telling Emmett she was in love with him.

Bella released Emmett from her grasp and as she moved tantalisingly towards him swaying her hips quite suggestively, he beckoned for her to sit on his lap, which she did and promptly dozed off.

"You guys really are in love" Emmett commented as he watched Bella snuggling into Edward's chest.

Edward nodded in agreement. "I'm not letting this one go Emmett – she's a keeper."

"You're a lucky bastard."

"I know Emmett, I know."

* * *

Kate was watching Edward closely as he recounted the events of that evening. She could see the pain in his eyes and the tears building up as he recalled the moment of realisation when he knew that he wanted her forever. Edward's head dropped downwards to avoid her seeing the first tear roll down his cheek.

"I've been such a fool Kate. I've lost her – I'll never get her back."

"You don't know that Edward. If she really loves you she'll come back, just give her time."

"You don't know what I've done!" Edward's crushed the sides of his head between his palms, shaking his head violently as if the memory of the events of the past week would come spilling out and disappear.

"What did you do Edward?" Kate waited while Edward regained control. He was silently sobbing and she could sense him trying to control his breathing.

After a moment of silence, Edward raised his head and wiped the tears from his eyes looking at Kate straight in her face.

"In Bella's eyes I've gone back on everything I ever promised her about our future and because of my crass stupidity, she's lost her job and Mike and Tyler have lost their business and now they are hugely in debt. She said I'm not the person she thought I was and she never ever wants to see or speak to me again."

"Did you go back on your word Edward?"

"Yes ... but it was to protect her initially, but then my own stupidity destroyed everything."

Kate took his hands in hers and held them while new tears rolled down his cheeks.

I can't live without her Kate; I don't want to live without her – my life means nothing now."

They sat there holding hands into the early hours while Kate tried to comfort Edward with words of encouragement, but he was in total denial, not wanting to dream that there was a light at the end of the endless tunnel he was gazing down.

"I'm tired Kate – I need to sleep, I'll talk more tomorrow. I can't talk about it now." Edward stood up and was in effect asking for Kate's permission to go to bed.

"Good idea" she said. You've talked for hours today. A good night's sleep will do you good. She got up from the table and cleared up their plates and glasses.

"Are you going to bed?" Edward asked as he watched her pulling bowls out of cupboards.

"Not yet Edward, I've got a few things to do first. You go off and I'll see you in the morning."

Edward stood up feeling quite stiff. They had sat at the table all evening rather than in the living room and his back and shoulders felt quite sore. He knew he was tense which didn't help so he decided to have a hot shower before bed.

"Goodnight Kate, and thanks for listening."

"Goodnight Edward – sleep well. Things always seem better in the morning light."

Edward stripped off and showered and wearing only his boxers, he slid into the comfortable bed and was asleep within minutes.

* * *

During the night Kate heard noises again from Edward's room and went to investigate. She opened the bedroom door and saw Edward thrashing around the bed, fighting an invisible attacker. She picked up a few words like No! Bastard! Possibly Jacob but she wasn't sure.

She managed to catch hold of his hands and grip them tightly. Edward immediately relaxed and after about thirty seconds he was calm enough for her to let him go. He rolled onto his side facing away from her and then curled up into a ball, grasping his knees with his arms. When she was sure he had settled, Kate covered him with the duvet and walked out of the room, closing the door silently behind her.

About an hour later Kate heard the sound of Edward opening his bedroom door. She listened for a moment to see what he was going to do, then saw her door handle turning and the door slowly opening. Edward was standing there just in his boxers, his chest glistening in the moonlight and his hair tousled and damp with sweat. Kate didn't know whether he was awake or sleep-walking so she stayed still and watched him.

"Are you awake?" Edward whispered, not wanting to wake her if she was sleeping.

"Yes I'm awake Edward, are you alright?"

"I don't want to be alone Kate, can I sleep with you in your bed?"

Kate moved to one side to make room and threw the duvet back indicating to Edward that he could get in. He walked slowly over to the bed and gently sat down on the edge and then rolled himself in taking the duvet with him. Kate had sat up slightly so that her back was against the pillow so that she was half sitting-half laying down and she was watching Edward's every move, trying to read the mind of the lost boy who had taken refuge with her and was now in her bed craving comfort.

Edward turned towards her and put his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him and then he rested his head on her breasts, nuzzling into her and making a sound that could almost be described as a whimper. Kate was tempted to touch him, to stroke his back, to massage his scalp, to kiss him better like a mother would kiss a child who woke in the night after a bad dream, because that's what Edward was at this moment, a vulnerable man-child who was caught in the middle of a nightmare, but touching like that would be crossing a line and she wasn't prepared to do that.

Kate could feel Edward's grip tightening on her and she felt his lips brush across the top of her breasts. She stroked his hair away from his eyes and could feel the dampness on his face where he had been crying.

"Bella, oh God Bella, I love you" Edward said, as his hand swiftly moved from her waist up her back and he clung to her burying his face in her neck.

"Edward, Edward, I'm not Bella" Kate said, shaking his shoulders gently and touching his face with her fingertips. She whispered soothing words about rest and sleep in his ear and after a while Edward relaxed his grip and slipped into a deep sleep. Kate stayed awake all night with him, stroking his hair when his breathing became erratic as completely peaceful sleep eluded him.

When the morning light came through the window, she managed to get out of bed without disturbing him, leaving him clinging to a pillow and snoring very quietly. She tip-toed out of the bedroom and after getting dressed, kept herself busy in the kitchen and garden, leaving Edward to sleep for most of the morning.

* * *

Edward eventually woke up and was shocked to find himself in Kate's bed, in his underwear, with a vague memory of what happened last night. "Oh Jesus" he exclaimed to himself thinking the worst but not having a clue how far things went.

He jumped out of bed and went back into his own room to the bathroom and then slung the bath robe on to cover himself before searching for Bella, "God I mean Kate" he said to himself.

Kate was opening the door of the Aga as Edward entered the kitchen and the smell of newly baked bread assaulted his senses and his stomach complained loudly. He couldn't bring himself to say anything as what the heck could he say. Had he had sex with Kate? He could remember getting in her bed, holding her close, her hands in his hair, but nothing after that.

"Hi Edward! Good sleep?" Kate said brightly.

"Umm yes, thank you." Edward responded, trying to pick up any signals from Kate's body language to give him any clues. "I woke up in your bed?"

Kate stopped what she was doing and walked over to him, sensing his discomfort and embarrassment. "Edward, you had a very bad dream last night and then you didn't want to be alone. We all need to be held sometimes in our lives and last night you needed to be held by someone and to hold someone yourself, and I just happened to be there. Nothing happened; you haven't betrayed Bella."

"But did I try to – I remember holding you and kissing you?"

"You weren't kissing me Edward, you were kissing Bella in your dream."

"I don't know what to say" he said as he hung his head as a few more memories of last night started filtering back into his brain.

"You don't need to say anything Edward – you're human and your heart is hurting badly, now go and get dressed and I'll make you some breakfast, actually I think brunch would be a better description."

Edward had a quick shower and saw that Kate had somehow found time to wash his own clothes that were now lying on the bed. He put them on and as he dressed, the feeling came over him that he was dressing for a journey.


	21. Chapter 21

Edward stood in front of the long mirror in the bedroom and observed the man looking back at him. Had he changed over the past two days? There was something different about the person who was reflected in the glass. He remembered the last time he really looked at himself in the mirror, and that was in the hotel when all he saw was a puppet, a commodity, a money-making enterprise, he couldn't see himself at all; but the person looking back at him now was Edward Cullen, he hadn't seen him for a long time.

Kate was sliding a Spanish omelette onto a plate as Edward came into the kitchen. There was already coffee and warm bread on the table and Edward's stomach growled in anticipation. He hadn't eaten so well in years, which could be another reason why he felt different inside himself. Even though he had drunk coffee, brandy and beer while he was here, he felt as though he had been 'de-toxed.'

"We're going out after this" Kate said as Edward was drinking his second cup of coffee. "You'll need the boots again." He watched as Kate loaded drinks and sandwiches into a basket and then sat on the doorstep to pull on her own boots.

Shortly afterwards, they left by the garden gate carrying rugs and the picnic basket. Turning in the opposite direction from the day before, they walked along the river bank under a canopy of willow trees that were throwing dappled light onto the surface of the water. It was another glorious day of warm sunshine and the only sound they could hear was the movement of the trees as they swayed in a light breeze.

They had been walking for about five minutes when Edward saw a small boathouse ahead and the tip of a small boat poking out from the front, bobbing around on the water. Kate made her way down the bank which was quite slippery and opened a door at the back of the wooden shed. Edward came down behind her and guessing what she was doing, dropped the basket into the boat before helping Kate get in. He untied the rope and climbed in as Kate was fiddling with the outboard motor.

Once she had got it going, they settled down on the wooden slats that served as seats and the boat slowly slipped out of the boathouse and turned right, making its way through the overhanging branches which occasionally they had to duck to avoid. As they were chugging along, Edward's favourite childhood book came to mind. He had read Swallows and Amazons over and over again when he was a boy, reliving the adventures of the children on their boats in the Lake District. He realised then that there was something in his make-up that drew him to water, he felt calmer being near it, he enjoyed swimming in it, he loved travelling on it and he loved reading about it.

He was totally at ease now, watching the banks slip by and the sunlight glittering on the water as it found its way through the canopy of leaves and branches above. He resolved that when he was ready to settle down, he would buy a house by a river or lake, and if he was lucky enough to have children he would take them out on a boat and have adventures with them.

The water was running quite swiftly now and Edward looked ahead of him and saw that the river was widening quite substantially. Ahead of him was a small island covered with trees that stood at the spot where the river divided into two and he realised that Kate was heading straight for a wooden landing step that he could just see through the trees. She skilfully manoeuvred the boat so that Edward could throw the rope onto the step and tie it onto a post and they both carefully got out carrying their basket and blankets.

There was a footpath leading into the trees and Edward followed Kate up a slight incline as the trees closed behind him so that he couldn't see the river any more. After walking a short distance the trees stopped and Edward found himself on the edge of a small clearing that was bathed in sunlight. The grass was lush and dotted with wild flowers of purple, yellow and white and bees were hopping from flower to flower drinking in the last of the summer nectar. Edward took a deep breath of the pristine air and turned his face to the sun, seeing the glow of the life-giving rays through his closed eyelids.

"This is my favourite place in the whole world" Kate said, breaking the silence. She took hold of Edward's hand and led him to the middle of the meadow where she put the blankets on the ground and sat down. Edward turned round and round on the spot, trying to take in the beauty of this place and preserve it in his memory. He thought of Bella and how she would love it here and he vowed if they ever got together again he would bring her here on a day such as this.

Edward sat down on the blanket and Kate handed him a cup of apple juice. "It's so peaceful here, I feel as though I'm inside a dream" he said, amazed that he sounded so poetic.

Kate nodded and smiled. "I know what you're trying to say, it is sort of weird like it is cut off from the world."

Edward lay back on the blanket and gazed up at the bluer than blue sky, wishing that he could stay here forever if the world outside was a world without Bella.

"Do you want to carry on with your story Edward?" Kate knew that Edward was approaching the cataclysmic event that destroyed his relationship with Bella. She didn't want to press him for the details, but for him to come to terms with what had happened, he needed to put into words what had led up to their break-up.

In this beautiful place, Edward was hesitant. This was the part of his story that led to him being here today – the darkest part, the part where he went back on his word, the part when he became a victim of injustice. He knew he needed to relate the events to Kate, but he was reluctant to spoil the feeling of peace he felt in this place. He knew that by the end of the story he would have resurrected the feelings of despair and desperation he felt when he left the hotel, but he wanted to tell Kate everything, so he half sat up leaning back on his arms, crossing his legs at the ankles and carried on with the story.

* * *

Bella went back to New York after their weekend and Edward was missing her as soon as she walked away from him at the airport. He made his way back to the hotel and closeted himself in his room to read his script so that he was well prepared for the first rehearsal tomorrow morning.

The following weeks and months were completely taken up by the exhausting schedule of rehearsals, stunt training and filming, which mainly took place in the studio. There had been several location shoots in LA and the Mojave Desert but it was mostly of Edward and Tanya's characters driving in fast cars, occasionally being chased and shot at.

The location shooting in Niagara and New York was approaching fast and Edward had surprised Jasper by paying for his airline ticket so that they could meet up in the city. Fortunately the shoot coincided with school holidays so Jasper was delighted to accept. He didn't know of course of Edward and Bella's cunning plan to set him up with Alice.

Bella was unable to get away from work to join him in Niagara but also she thought it wouldn't be a good idea, just in case Tanya spotted her. Niagara was a small place compared with New York, so Edward did a 'rain check' on the Niagara experience.

Mike was happy that the financing of their movie was 100% guaranteed and studio time was being booked so that Edward would start shooting directly after the premiere of the third film. Contracts were flying between Mike's legal team and Jacob's, but Mike had checked out the company and everything seemed to be above board. He usually had at least two or three individuals or companies financing his films, but beggars couldn't be choosers nowadays and he felt lucky to have one exceedingly rich backer in times of recession.

Tanya had been reasonably well behaved on set, with Emmett only having to pull her up about her 'attitude' on a couple of occasions and always discreetly. They had one love scene to do in Niagara which Edward was dreading, but amazingly Tanya was very professional about the whole thing which actually astounded him. She had not mentioned Edward's 'girlfriend' once during the shoot and the sexual innuendos were a thing of the past.

Edward flew into JFK after a short flight from Niagara and hung about in the VIP lounge waiting for Jasper's plane to land after its transatlantic flight from Heathrow. They met in a private area and gave each other a manly hug and then headed out to The Big Apple to rendezvous with Bella and Alice. Jasper had never been to the States before and was practically bouncing in his seat in the car with excitement, listing all the things he wanted to do and see. Edward was thrilled that he had arranged this for his friend – being rich and famous had its advantages sometimes.

They pulled up in front of Edward and Bella's favourite Italian restaurant and while Edward was giving the production company's driver instructions where to take their luggage, they heard a squeal coming from inside the restaurant. Edward quickly walked through the door, only to be jumped on by an excited Bella who hadn't seen him for weeks. She kissed him passionately on the lips and then buried her face in his neck to hide the tears of joy.

"Hi Bella" Jasper said looking at both of them with an amused but slightly envious expression on his face and then he turned to look at the girl sitting at the table, who had been waiting politely to be introduced but was now staring up at Jasper, her mouth shaped in an 'O' and her eyes wide and unblinking.

Before him was a girl dressed all in black, even her fingernails were black; the only colour showing was her bright red lipstick and the hint of an electric blue bra strap showing under her t-shirt. Her hair was black, short and spiky and her skin was pale, almost white, but it was her eyes that he was drawn to. Deep pools of brown, almost black, that were now fixed on his and growing wider and wider.

Jasper's knees suddenly felt weak and he had to put his hand on the back of a chair to steady himself. Never in his 27 years had he experienced an instant attraction like this, she had literally taken his breath away. He remembered scoffing when Edward told him what an effect seeing Bella for the first time had had on him, but was it happening to him? She hadn't even said anything, he knew absolutely nothing about her, but he was seriously attracted to her and he could tell from Alice's expression that the feeling was two-way.

"Hi, I'm Bella's friend Alice."

"Hi, I'm Edward's friend Jasper."

"I love your accent!"

"I love yours too."

"Shall we leave these two to catch up?"

"Good idea, let's go"

Alice stood up from the table and waited until Bella and Edward had detached themselves from each other.

"Hey you two, I'm going to show Jasper the sights – I'm sure you guys have a lot to catch up on and we don't want to cramp your style. I won't be back at the apartment until really late by the way."

Edward and Bella looked at Jasper and Alice in surprise and then smiled gratefully as they watched them run out of the restaurant hand in hand, followed by the sight of Alice jumping up and down in the middle of the road, flagging down a cab that just managed to stop in time. They dived into the back and that was the last Bella and Edward saw of them until the following afternoon.

"Jesus! That was quick work" Edward said, not having that much experience of the nuclear force that was Alice Brandon. "I hope she doesn't eat him alive."

Bella laughed and led Edward over to their table and said suggestively "Let's eat quickly, then we've got the rest of the evening to ourselves."

They both devoured bowls of pasta in record time and walked back to Bella's apartment. Once inside they made up for lost time in bed and didn't notice that Alice hadn't returned home until they got up the next morning.


	22. Chapter 22

"Darn it!" Edward said when Alice's absence was discovered.

"What's the matter?" Bella asked curiously.

"I was trying to be quiet this morning – we could've made as much noise as we liked."

Bella laughed. "We still have time if you want to rock this joint." She sashayed over to where he was sitting and straddled him. She wasn't wearing any panties under her long t-shirt and Edward was instantly hard. His hands cupped her bottom as she moved slightly backwards and pulled Edwards cock from his sweat pants and moved her hands up and down his length. She lifted herself up and dropped herself down on him, impaling herself in one move, crying out in pleasure and Edward groaned at the sensation of Bella's body tight around him.

"Come on Edward, lose yourself in me." Bella was bouncing on his cock and biting his neck. "Fuck me hard this time – go on do it, I know you want to. I'm not made of glass you know."

Edward didn't need to be asked twice.

He pulled her t-shirt up over her head so she was naked and then he stood up with her, his strong body lifting her weight with ease as she swivelled her hips on him to increase the sensation of his cock inside her.

He walked over to the kitchen table and after getting rid of the junk littered on the surface with one sweep of his arm, he laid Bella on her back on the hard surface, her legs still wrapped around his waist and his cock buried deep inside her.

"Make as much noise as you want gorgeous girl" he said as he looked down at Bella as she writhed about on the table, moaning in ecstasy as he pumped her slowly at first.

He reached behind him and gripped her ankles then manoeuvred her legs up in the air, placing her ankles over his shoulders. He bent forward pushing her legs into her body so she was almost folded in half then he gripped her hips so she couldn't move backwards and started pounding into her.

"Is this what you want Bella, am I fucking you hard enough?" He gripped her hips harder and pushed her legs down even more, causing his cock to plough further into her than he had ever been before. He thrust with as much force as he could, causing Bella to cry out in delicious pain.

"Do you want more Bella?"

"God yes Edward, give me everything" Bella shrieked as Edward drove himself into her, causing beads of sweat to appear on his forehead.

He felt his burn coming too fast so he pulled out of her and Bella gasped with the loss of him. With his strong hands he flipped her over and bent her over the table, running his hands over her bottom.

"I owe you a spanking, don't I Bella?" he said and he raised his right hand up and smacked her right cheek hard. Bella cried out with shock but before she could speak, his hand went up and he smacked her left cheek. He did this three times more each side and Bella yelped at every stroke, the impact turning Bella's bottom pink and leaving faint finger marks.

He pulled her legs apart roughly and rammed two fingers into her soaking entrance and then added a third one. With his other hand he grabbed hold of Bella's hair and twisted it in his hand, then pulled her head back so that she was arched up away from the table. His hand pumped quickly and deeply inside her as Bella moaned and squirmed beneath him, totally at the mercy of this man who was now in complete control of her body.

"I'm going to fuck you now Bella until you come, do you hear me" he growled as he pulled his fingers out and rammed his cock into her, pulling her head back with her hair at the same time.

Holding her down on the table as she screamed his name, he thrust relentlessly into her until he sensed her building towards her climax. He could feel his own burn in his body and knew he would not be able to hold off much longer. He was so turned on that he felt that he was going to explode and if the force of his impending orgasm killed him, then what a great way to die!

Bella was shouting that she was going to come and as he felt her walls constrict around his cock, he detonated his sperm into her and then collapsed on her back with his hands between her chest and the table so that he had one of her breasts in each hand and he was squeezing them hard.

He lay there, sweat pouring off him, trying to regain control of his breathing. "That was the fuck of the century" he thought to himself, thinking of a line that Michael Douglas uttered in Basic Instinct. "I'll never be able to top that."

Then he thought about the girl beneath him. He had completely lost it and fucked her really really hard, he had spanked her as well, Jesus!

"Bella, are you ok? I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. I behaved like an animal."

Bella was pinned beneath him on the hard surface of the table and she was starting to feel uncomfortable. "Can you get off me Edward?" she whispered.

Edward moved instantly, pulling out of her and standing up straight, looking in horror at the marks he had left on her bottom. Bella shrieked when she felt his cock leave her body and she lay there unable to move for a moment as her legs felt like jelly and she had no strength in her arms at all.

"What can I do Bella, have I hurt you?" Edward was starting to panic now.

"Bath" was the only word Bella uttered, so Edward quickly strode into the bathroom and turned on the taps, throwing every variety of bath oil that he could find into the water.

He went back to the kitchen feeling utterly distraught at his behaviour and gently lifted her up in his arms, carrying her into the bathroom and testing the water before slowly lowering her limp body into the bath. He scooted in behind her and poured body wash into his hands and began massaging her shoulders and arms frantically in an effort to revive her, as Bella's head was lolling back and forward as though she was in a daze.

"God! Bella, I'm so, so sorry. I'll never behave like that again, I promise."

Bella turned her face to his and slowly moved her hand up as if to comfort him.

"I bloody hope not Cullen. Next time put your back into it!" She put her hand down and burst out laughing.

Edward's mouth dropped open. "You conniving bitch, you've done it again. I'm going to spank you good and proper next time, you wait, you evil witch."

Bella was absolutely creased up now and Edward got hold of her and dunked her completely under the water, following which they had a water fight ending with them locked in a passionate kiss and lying wrapped in each other's arms in the bath, Edward's long legs having to hang over the top.

"I fucking love you" Edward said and chuckled, but still thinking about his revenge.

"I love you too Edward – and by the way, you were amazing. I've never felt like that before, I love it when you're dominant, it's very sexy."

"That was one of the most intense releases I've ever had Bella. I'm still coming down from it" Edward replied, feeling quite smug that Bella was appreciative of his efforts, and he kissed her tenderly on the top of her head.

Bella moved in the bath and cried "Ouch!"

Edward looked at her in alarm, not sure if she was joking or not.

"My backside really does sting Edward, but it was an intense experience and I'm glad you did it. Just don't do it too often please?"

"OK" he said. "But your arse is so smack-able."

"I love it when you say 'arse' – it's so British."

"Arse, arse, arse" Edward repeated laughing. "Come on, we'd better get out of here or we're going to catch pneumonia."

* * *

They had a very late breakfast and went out to meet Alice and Jasper. Bella had got a text from her that morning saying "she wasn't dead" and that she had stayed at Jasper's hotel because he didn't want her to travel back to Queens on her own in a cab late at night. A likely story but what the heck, they were two consenting adults and they had known each other for at least six hours!

Joking aside, Bella was very sore and she was forced to walk quite slowly and sit down carefully for the rest of the day. Edward was mortified, but they came up with the story that she had slipped in the bath. Another likely story of course, but one that would cause the least embarrassment and better than "Edward spanked my arse and fucked me senseless" which would go down an absolute storm at the dinner table.

Edward went out wearing a beanie and sunglasses, hoping not to be recognised. He had a few funny looks from people who thought they recognised him, but usually it was about a minute later it would click who they had just seen and Edward would have disappeared by then.

Because it was a lovely day, they met Alice and Jasper at the entrance to the Empire State Building; they queued with everyone else and were on top of it half an hour later which was pretty good going for the summer. Edward recalled being tempted to tell James that he would propose to Bella here with the world's media watching if Tanya tried to interfere with Bella's life again. He intended to propose to Bella in the future, but it would be somewhere very special, somewhere important to the two of them. At the time he didn't know where, but he knew that one day it would come to him.

They saw a few more famous sights and finally they took a trip on the Staten Island Ferry as the sun went down behind the Statue of Liberty. They walked off the ferry and turned immediately round and got on the ferry going back, standing at the front of the boat to watch the glittering lights of Manhattan coming on as the night fell.

They had dinner in a restaurant/club which had a bluesy jazz band playing in the corner. It was an ideal place to be as it was very dark and Edward could at least take his sunglasses and beanie off. He was recognised, but the patrons of this restaurant respected his space and they were not bothered all evening.

Bella had to ask. "So what's with you two then?" pointing at Alice and Jasper and grinning.

"We just sort-of clicked" Alice said. "I like him ... I like him a lot!"

"I like you too Alice, but I can't afford the bus fare" Jasper quipped, referring to the fact there was the small matter of three and a half thousand miles distance separating their lives.

Alice's shoulders sagged. "Why are all the nice men British?"

"Not in movies they're not" Edward commented. "They're usually the villain."

Jasper looked at Alice and gave her an evil smirk and waggled his eyebrows.

"You'll have to get a job in London, Alice" Jasper piped up. "Get yourself a transfer to the London office."

"But I like New York" Alice whimpered. "Can't you come and live here – there are lots of inner city schools here, I'm sure you could get a job?"

Edward laughed, amazed that Alice was talking like this after only knowing Jasper for twenty four hours. They all saw the funny side of it which was the cue to order another bottle of wine.

They went back to the hotel together and Edward changed his clothes and grabbed some more for the morning. They let Jasper and Alice have the hotel suite for the night as Edward was sick of living in hotels and it was also quite a treat for Jasper, who was pretending to be Edward and ordering room service like it was going out of fashion! Edward and Bella took a cab back to Queens and spent the night cuddling but no sex. Bella offered to give Edward some oral relief but he declined as part of his penance.

The next day they all went for a walk in the morning around Central Park, ending up at the John Lennon memorial, because Jasper was a Beatles fan. After arranging to meet up again in the evening, Alice took Jasper shopping in the afternoon to get presents for his mum and sister, leaving Edward and Bella alone again.

They sat on a seat overlooking the boating lake in the park, enjoying each other's company while they could.

"How much longer until the movie is finished Edward?" Bella asked. They hadn't talked about the film since he arrived. She knew that he would be location shooting for three days starting tomorrow, and then he had to go back to LA for the final scenes and any re-takes that were necessary.

"I'm not sure Bella, maybe about a month, and then I have a bit of time off but then I have to go and promote the film all around the world before the premieres in LA, New York and London. At least the post-production is short this time so hopefully in about four months time I will be a free man."

"You promise you won't sign up to any more of these, will you?"

"No I promise – I'm grateful for them, but the stories are not my thing now, and I can't stand being anywhere near Tanya. Problem is that they have made huge amounts of money and I know I am going to be put under extraordinary pressure to sign up for some more."

"You won't though, please" Bella pleaded with him.

"No I won't. I've promised you that. I know I could name my price now, but I've made enough money to last a lifetime. I don't need it."

"Who do you think will put pressure on you?" Bella asked, interested.

"The producers who have got the rights to the franchise, James who gets a cut, Tanya, Tanya's agent, and several hundred other people who have been working non-stop on these films for the past four years. When you get a film series that generates a lot of income, it's difficult for people to walk away from guaranteed profit."

"But couldn't they get someone else to play your role?"

"I've said that to James, but the producers say it is the pairing of Tanya and me that sells the films – apparently we have 'on screen chemistry.' I can't see it, but they are insistent that we are the only ones who can play these roles."

"Do you believe that?" Bella asked.

"No I don't. Tanya has got some sort of hold on the studio and she knows she would be nothing without these films. She's not a good actress and she got the role by knowing the right people. If I walked away I am pretty sure she would find it difficult getting more work because people know what she's like now."

"What do you mean 'if' you walked away – don't you mean when."

"Sorry yes, I meant when. Honestly Bella I can't wait to finish these films and being able to live my life as I want it. We only have a few months more to wait and it will be all over."

Bella smiled and snuggled up closely to him on the bench. They watched children playing with boats on the lake and they both wondered, without knowing they were both thinking the same, whether they would one day bring their own children here to play on the lake.


	23. Chapter 23

Edward flew back to LA and Jasper flew back to London leaving two sobbing girls behind them in New York. None of them knew when they would meet up again and not having a definite date made the parting even worse.

Edward was back on set the next morning and noticed the producers of the film were wandering around the studio, which was unusual. They were closeted with Emmett for a while which held up one of the shoots and then Edward saw them speaking to Tanya in one of the offices. Tanya's agent turned up about an hour later and also talked to the producers, but none of them approached Edward which he thought was strange.

He didn't think any more about that day for quite a while, not until it became important.

Filming finished about a week later than scheduled as Edward was called back to do a bit of dubbing and talk over's. He had to fly to London to do some legal stuff with the Executors of his grandmother's estate, which was still not resolved, and then he flew back to LA via New York and spent 36 glorious hours with Bella.

Mike and Tyler had thrown everything into the film and were working non-stop to make sure everything was in place and ready to go after Edward's commitment to the third film finished. Bella had proved herself to be invaluable to them and Mike made a point of singing her praises to Edward at every opportunity.

Post production was over and the final version of the third film was ready to be shown at previews around the world and Edward and Tanya set off to promote it, their first stop being Rio. Edward had been 'asked' not to mention the fact that he was leaving the series until after the press junkets and premieres were over, to which he had agreed. He was clever enough to realise that if the announcement was made beforehand, the up-coming interviews would be all about why he didn't want to do a fourth film rather than the actual film itself and he would prefer to talk about the film than his future, which was his business.

During the first round of interviews, questions were asked about the fourth film, to which he replied "Nothing has been agreed yet and no contracts have been signed" which normally stopped any further questions in their tracks.

He was fairly happy about how the first day had gone and watched some of the interviews on YouTube later on in the evening, even though they had been dubbed into Portuguese. One of the interviews that had been aired on one of the main TV channels cut between Edward's interview and Tanya's and Edward could just hear what Tanya was saying behind the interpreter. When she was asked about whether Tanya and Edward would be doing another film, Tanya said "Yes!" and then put her hand up to her mouth, giggled and said "I really shouldn't have said that!"

Edward had James on the phone in an instant.

"What the fuck is going on James – big mouth Tanya is saying I'm doing another film. When are you people going to realise that for me this is it, finished, over!"

"Calm down Edward, I think Tanya's comment was meant to be that she 'hoped' there would be a fourth film for the two of you – that's all."

"That's not what it sounded like James. You get on to her fucking agent and get this sorted, now."

Edward phoned Bella in New York and explained what was going on. He didn't want her to hear from anyone that he had agreed to continue with the series. Bella was pleased he was anxious to keep her in the picture and she reassured him that she wouldn't believe anything that came from TFD's mouth.

They continued on with their world tour, taking in Sydney, Auckland, Cape Town, Japan, Singapore, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam and other big cities that would not be having premieres. Reviews of the film were good, getting three or four stars and the occasional five, however it was almost consistent across the board that Edward was now seen as the star of the film with Tanya being his side-kick. Her acting was described as mediocre at best and that the on-screen chemistry they had in the first two films was starting to evaporate.

Tanya was spitting feathers over the reviews and was blaming everyone but herself. Emmett got the worst of her tongue saying that he had obviously favoured Edward on set and had given him all the best scenes. The producers were concerned, obviously, but the fan-sites were still in a buzz waiting for the release date which was coming up fast and the producers were only interested in the box office receipts.

The first premiere was going to be held in LA, followed two days later by New York and then London. Bella wasn't bothered about attending any of them, even though she would have like to see Emmett again. It was agreed that Bella would sneak into Edward's New York suite and stay with him overnight before he flew off to London and then afterwards he would come back to New York to prepare for Mike's film.

The day of the LA premiere arrived and Edward woke up that morning thinking five more days and that will be it. He can walk away for good. His contract with James was also up for negotiation and he was going to give him the opportunity to make him an offer and then he would look elsewhere.

His cell phone rang and he saw it was James calling him.

"Hi James, what can I do for you this morning?"

"Hi Edward, can you come by the office this morning, I need to go over some stuff with you?"

"What stuff?"

"I don't want to talk about it over the phone, can you come here in about an hour?"

"OK, see you later." Edward was instantly suspicious. Something was going on, he could hear it in James's voice but he couldn't imagine what it could be. He wasn't considering any other films at the moment, so it couldn't be a script or anything. "Hmmm."

Edward turned up at James office and strolled past blonde hair big tits, who was staring at him with her mouth open.

"Morning James." Edward came in and sat at his customary place on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table.

"Hello Edward, how are you?"

"Just cut the crap James, today is a busy day, just get on with it."

"I want to talk to you about the series and whether you would reconsider doing a fourth film. There are lots of jobs hanging on this and the producers are keen to keep the momentum going."

Edward took his feet off the coffee table. "James, let me say this to you for the final time. I am NOT doing another film, I have fulfilled my contract, that's it, no more, finished. Tell me that this is now embedded in your brain and stop wasting my time."

James sat in his chair behind his desk watching Edward carefully.

"There is nothing I can say that will convince you to change your mind?"

"No."

"Any amount of money?"

"No."

"I was hoping it wasn't going to come to this."

"What are you talking about James – are you going to threaten me or blackmail me for fuck sake?"

Edward saw James's eyes look at something over his shoulder and Edward turned to see what he was looking at. From behind a screen in the outside office Tanya appeared with her agent and a tall man with dark hair and tanned skin.

Edward jumped to his feet. "What the fuck are you doing here?" speaking directly to Tanya who had flounced into the office waving a bunch of papers in her hand. He had never seen Tanya in this building before as her agent's offices were across town. She must have been invited by James who was sitting quietly, ready to witness the drama that was going to unfold in front of him.

"Hello Edward." Tanya said. "May I introduce you to a friend of mine – his name is Jacob." Jacob offered Edward his hand to shake but Edward refused, sensing a trap. Where had he heard the name Jacob before lately? Then it hit him, Jacob was the guy who was financing Bella's film.

"What the fuck do you want?" he growled as his mind started working overtime. He was pretty astute and he knew then that this was more than likely a blackmail situation and that they were going to hold Bella's movie over his head in order to get him to sign his life away.

"Oh Edward, I think you've already guessed" Tanya simpered. "I'm the money behind your girlfriend's film, Bella isn't it? You thought I didn't know that you were screwing that little tramp behind my back, well she's the one that's going to get screwed now, her and her two gay friends Mike and Tyler. I'm going to pull the plug on that piece of shit unless you sign up for two more films."

Edward advanced towards Tanya wanting to strike her but her agent jumped between them.

"I have the contract right here Edward! I got it from the production company, my father's production company by the way. I said I was going to use my womanly charms on you to get you to sign, and they fell for it. Either you sign right now or I throw Mike and Tyler to the wolves immediately, and they are so up to their necks in debt, with luck they might end up in prison."

Edward was confused. Mike had said that the money for the film was confirmed. They couldn't back out now – rehearsals and filming was due to start in two weeks.

"You're bluffing" Edward said. "Mike said that everything was sewn up legally. You've gone too far to pull out now."

"Don't be stupid Edward." Jacob said condescendingly. "Tanya's father owns a multi-national corporation with a legal department bigger than the US Government's. He has so much power that it was a piece of cake getting the original backers to pull out. This subsidiary has been set up specifically to get you to sign on the dotted line and that means there are so many get-out clauses in the contract with Empty that it's not worth having. Mike's legal team are shit - it was like stealing candy from a baby."

Edward turned to James for help but he sat there with tented fingers shaking his head and refusing to get drawn into the conversation.

"Don't stall Edward, it's now or never. You sign right here, right now, or we pull the plug and your friends disappear down the hole into the sewer." Jacob was leaning over him menacingly and Tanya was standing with her hands on her hips looking smug. He wanted to punch both of them but he had been ambushed and he couldn't see an escape route.

Jacob continued. "There's too much money riding on this Edward – so fucking sign."

Edward knew he was defeated. He either had to sign the contract or Mike and Tyler would go to the wall. He was rich, but not rich enough to bail Mike and Tyler out of the mess. He sat down on the sofa and put his head in his hands.

"How do I know you won't still pull the plug on Bella's film?"

"You don't" Tanya said. "But I promise you I won't, and you can still star in it if you like." She was speaking as though she had the power to decide. He accepted that Daddy's money talked, but was he that powerful?

Edward was thinking fast. Who knew what Tanya and Jacob had cooked up? Was her father involved? Did Emmett know? Why were the producers on set that day? He knew he was the victim of an elaborate conspiracy – and greed was at the root of it.

"I won't sign anything unless I've read it first." Edward was stalling for more time while he thought about what he was doing. He would have to be truthful with Bella and tell her why he was doing this and who was financing the film. She would be devastated, but at least Mike and Tyler would be OK.

"Read it" Jacob said. "The contract is just an agreement to do the films – nothing about money; that can be sorted later."

Edward sat down and read the contract. He wasn't a legal expert but he could see it was the usual wording stating that he was agreeing to tie himself to two more films over the next two years.

"If I sign this I don't want this news to come out until I have spoken to Bella, do you understand?"

"We'll give you until tomorrow morning to speak to Bella and then it will go out on a press statement in time for the New York premiere."

Edward was trapped. There was more to this than just his involvement in the film but he couldn't put his finger on it. He looked at James who had sat through the whole scenario without uttering a word. Whatever happened after this, his contract with James would not be renewed – he would be looking for another agent as soon as the premieres were over.

Bella's job wasn't a problem, she could always get another one, but he couldn't let Mike and Tyler be destroyed because his professional integrity was more important than their liberty. He had no alternative but to trust Tanya and Jacob that they would keep their word.

Jacob handed Edward a pen and he turned it over in his hand while he made the final decision. He would have preferred to stab Jacob or Tanya in the eyes with the pen but instead, he signed his name on the dotted line, got up and walked out of the office.

Tanya smiled gleefully and called after him. "Edward, I meant to say, you and I are still an item as far as the media is concerned, just you remember that."

"Oh no Tanya, that's not part of the deal" he retorted instantly. "You're deluded from all that coke you snort if you think I'm going to carry on with that charade for the next two years. I'm marrying Bella as soon as I can arrange it. I'm in love with her and she is with me."

Tanya didn't reply – she just smiled sweetly and handed the paperwork to Jacob.

Edward walked to the elevator and pressed the button and as the doors opened he shouted

"FUCK THIS!"

Just like before.


	24. Chapter 24

He strode through the foyer, out into the LA sunlight and wanted to kick the first thing that was standing in his path. He made his way to the parking lot and got in his car and sat there while he regained his composure, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.

Edward reached into his jacket pocket for his cell phone and called Bella. The number rang and rang and then went onto voice mail. He heard Bella's lovely voice and he left her a message to call him urgently, no matter what the time.

He drove back to his hotel and went for a swim in the pool to calm himself down and then went back to his room for a rest. He tried Bella's number again – still no reply. He tried Mike's office number but that went onto voice mail, probably because it was the weekend. He had a shower, taking the phone with him into the bathroom, just in case Bella called but nothing.

He got his clothes ready for the premiere and a car came to collect him and take him to the hotel where the early evening reception was being held. He was allocated a room and he sat there, trying her number every fifteen minutes. Nothing.

The limos arrived to take the stars to the premiere. Edward refused point blank to get in a car with Tanya saying "he would rather fucking walk." Instead he went with two actors who had supporting roles in the film. He tried Bella one more time en route but it went to voicemail again.

Edward got out of the car without acknowledging the screams from the crowds who had gathered to see him and as he went to put his cell back in his pocket he noticed in horror that his battery was almost flat. "Fuck" he said, just as the first camera turned in his direction and a microphone was shoved in his face.

* * *

**_A few hours earlier in New York, just as Edward was on his way to James's office, Bella left her apartment to go out for bagels at the local deli. As she turned the corner into the next street she collided with two guys who were blocking her path, almost knocking her to the ground. One of the guys caught hold of her and said "Beg your pardon ma'am, are you OK?" Bella said she was fine and carried on walking to the shop._**

**_It was only when she got home she noticed that her cell phone was not in her bag._**

* * *

After the premiere the guests returned to the hotel for the party. Edward wasn't in the mood for being sociable plus he didn't want to risk being anywhere near Tanya, as he was so wound up and angry that he couldn't guarantee that he would be able to control his temper. He had never hit a woman in anger in his life, but he had come so close in James's office that he had to consider the possibility that she might taunt him so much tonight that he could end up lashing out, and that frightened him.

He hadn't thought to bring his phone charger with him and he was frantic with worry that Bella would hear about the contract before he had spoken to her and explained the situation. He couldn't understand why she was not picking up her calls or replying to his messages. He had planned to spend the night at the hotel where the after-show party was being held, but he decided to go back to his own hotel so that he could recharge his phone and try calling her again.

As Edward was crossing the parking lot to ask one of the official car drivers to take him home, Tanya walked right up to him with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"How did Bella take it then?" she said, innocently.

"Fuck off Tanya you sad bitch."

"Oh, be like that then. I thought you'd be nice to me now I hold Mike and Tyler's balls in my hand."

"Metaphorical balls are the only ones you'll ever touch" Edward replied, trying to get the horrific vision of Tanya handling anyone's balls out of his head.

"Really, well that's where you're wrong Edward. Let me introduce you to my boyfriend – silly me, of course you've already met Jacob, haven't you?"

"Oh Jesus, I'm out of here" Edward said and walked straight past her and into the back of the waiting car.

* * *

Edward got back to his hotel and put his phone on charge. After a few minutes it had enough juice to make a call so he tried Bella once more – nothing. His brain engaged and he phoned Jasper in London, got his voice mail and left a message asking him to phone Alice to get her to get Bella to phone him urgently. He kicked himself for not having Alice's cell phone number or another number for Mike, but he hadn't ever needed to get hold of Bella urgently before.

Lots of different reasons were going through his head why Bella wasn't answering his calls. Maybe she had lost her phone, or it was broken, or she had been in an accident. Another thought occurred to him that maybe one of Tanya's cronies had got to her already and told her what had happened and now she wasn't speaking to him. It was a possibility, but he was sure that Bella would have phoned him to check whether it was true or not, before cold-shouldering him.

He was exhausted; he needed to sleep as he was flying to New York tomorrow for the premiere. He phoned James who was still at the party.

"Where the fuck did you disappear to?" James slurred.

"Sorry James, didn't feel like partying tonight you bastard."

"How did Bella take it?"

"She doesn't know – I haven't been able to get through to her."

"Shit."

"What do you care – you and I are finished by the way, that's what I've phoned to say. I'd rather have Saddam fucking Hussein representing me than you anymore."

"Saddam Hussein's dead."

"So are you in my eyes."

"Goodnight Edward."

"Fuck off James."

Edward fell asleep worn out with stress and worry. He knew that the news had probably hit the papers in New York by now and he hadn't had a chance to warn Bella. Jasper hadn't replied to his message which was unusual and there were no other avenues open to him.

The next morning he was woken by the alarm as he had an early flight to catch. A car arrived to take him to the airport and he threw his luggage in the trunk and climbed into the back. On the seat next to him was a selection of morning newspapers and he knew that if he opened one and turned to the entertainment section, details of his treachery would be splashed over the pages.

He left the papers unopened and travelled to the airport in silence.

Back in New York, Bella was woken by a shriek from Alice's room. She had her TV on and she shouted for Bella to come in to watch something. Bella staggered out of bed just as Edward's face disappeared from the screen.

"What is it Alice, who's fucking died?"

"Nobody's fucking died – they've just said on the TV that Edward has signed to do two more of the films."

"Bullshit!" Bella said, and wandered into the kitchen to make coffee.

She poured herself a strong one and then settled on the sofa and put the main TV on. She was half-listening as she was flicking through one of Alice's fashion magazines when she heard Edward's name mentioned. Her eyes immediately went up to the screen.

"_Reports have come out of Hollywood today that Edward Cullen and Tanya Denali have signed on the dotted line and will be continuing to star in two more films in their hugely successful franchise. A press release has been issued from the production company saying that Edward and Tanya were delighted to be associated with the series and contracts were signed yesterday. The couple were together on the red carpet in LA last night at their latest premiere. They spent the evening at the after-show party and were photographed in the parking lot, sneaking away together, leaving the other guests to dance until dawn." _

A picture flashed up of Edward in a tuxedo and Tanya in her designer dress that she wore at the premiere, in a parking lot, so it definitely wasn't a picture taken three years ago which is sometimes the case.

Bella sat there in shocked silence. Alice had come out of her room and was watching Bella for her reaction.

"I still won't believe it Alice, not until he tells me himself."

"I don't believe it too Bella, maybe it's just a story that's been invented by the production company to help box office sales."

"I don't know" she said shaking her head. "I'm totally confused. Edward gave me his word."

"When did you last talk to him?"

"The day before yesterday, he didn't say anything then. I need to talk to him – have you got his number on your phone?"

"No, but Jasper has."

"Can you call him please?"

Alice went in her room and called Jasper, who then noticed he had a missed call from Edward. "Why don't men check their phones?" Alice said to herself exasperated. She took down Edward's number and called it, but it went straight to voice mail.

Alice handed her phone to Bella who got up and walked into her bedroom and shut the door. He had promised her faithfully he wouldn't do this and now he had signed up for two more years of having his life controlled by this series. No, she wouldn't believe it, not until he told her himself

Alice's phone rang. Bella looked at it hopefully but it was Jasper calling back.

"I've just listened to Edward's voice mail – he wanted me to get a message to you to call him urgently. Sorry, I didn't notice before."

"Thanks Jasper – I'll get Alice to call you back later, I've got to use her phone now."

Bella was coming to the conclusion that the story was true and that Edward had gone back on his word and was trying to warn her before she heard it from somewhere else.

"I can't believe he's done this, after everything he said," she sobbed and curled up in a ball on the bed. "I don't think I can trust him ever again!"

She located Edward's number on the phone and pressed the call button. It went straight to voicemail. With her voice shaking with emotion she left the following message:

"Edward, you promised me you wouldn't do this. I can't believe you've signed the contract without talking to me first. I thought we were partners now, but you did this on your own and now I don't think I can ever trust you again. I thought we had a future together and you loved me. Goodbye."

Alice put her arm around her and held her while she sobbed.

* * *

Edward landed at JFK and switched his phone on and saw a missed call from Jasper and one from a number he didn't recognise. He phoned Jasper immediately.

"What the fuck's going on Edward?"

"I can't get hold of Bella – she's not answering my calls"

"She had her phone stolen from her bag"

"Shit"

"Tell me it's not true about the films."

"I can't Jasper"

"You said ..."

"I know what I said, it's a long story. I need to talk to Bella, can you give me Alice's number?"

"You might already have it on your phone – I know she tried to call you but check your messages first. Bella was there when I spoke to Alice."

"OK, I will. Thanks"

"Edward, if you fuck Bella over I'll never talk to you again, you know that."

"I love Bella, that's the last thing I want to do."

Edward connected to his voicemail and after skipping through several inane messages, heard Bella's voice. His heart stopped beating for a second thankful she had got through to him, but then he listened to the message and his hand went straight up into his hair and tugged a handful. Eventually, with shaking hands, he pressed the call button.

Alice picked up on the first ring.

"It's Edward, is Bella there?"

"No she isn't. Mike came round for her about half an hour ago and they went straight off to the office, you can get her there you bastard."

"What are you talking about?"

"You promised Bella."

"Alice, you don't know the whole story, so can you reserve judgement on me until you do?"

Edward ended the call and tried Mike's office number. It was busy. By this time he was in the car on his way to the press junket being held in a hotel near to where the premiere was being held.

He kept trying Mike but the line was constantly engaged. He was tempted to get his driver to go straight to Queens but he knew the driver would ignore his instructions and carry on to the hotel anyway.

Edward could feel his whole world crumbling around him. Only a short time ago he was happily contemplating his future and now he had signed his life away for another two years and had consequentially devastated the most important person in his life. He tried to placate himself by thinking that at least he had secured Mike and Tyler's film and their business and he was confident that when Bella, Mike and Tyler heard the whole story they would be eternally grateful.

He arrived at the hotel and was shown up to his room. James was there and they totally ignored each other while Edward put on a clean shirt and jacket ready for the interviews. They went down in the elevator in complete silence and walked to where the filming was being done. Tanya and her agent were at the other end of the corridor just about to go into her interview suite but Edward ignored her wave and sarcastic words of welcome.

He knew what he had to do and what he damn well was going to do, so he took a deep breath and walked into his interview suite where 'Bob' from Fox News was waiting to receive him.


	25. Chapter 25

They started the five minute interview with the usual generic questions about the film and then Bob mentioned the fourth and fifth films. Edward confirmed that they were 'in negotiations' and that was all he could say at the moment. Bob was reasonably happy with that.

"And how is the relationship with you and the lovely Tanya developing – will the on-screen chemistry carry over to your personal life one day?"

"Actually no Bob, I have a girlfriend who lives in New York. I believe Tanya has just started seeing someone as well, but you had better ask her that."

Bob was absolutely ecstatic that Edward had blessed him with this scoop and he couldn't finish the interview quick enough so that he could get the tape to his editor. He sprinted out of the hotel with the tape in his hand and jumped into a cab throwing notes at the driver to get him to his studio as fast as possible.

The next reporter came in to the interview room warily, having just seen his rival breaking Usain Bolt's record for the 100 metres and he knew instinctively (because he was a reporter) that something was afoot.

Five minutes later, another reporter went flying out of the building with the scoop of the year.

Word finally got to Tanya's camp what was going on and her agent came storming up the corridor towards James and told him to get in there and shut Edward up, but of course it was too late.

* * *

Earlier in Queens, Mike had been tipped off by his legal team that something was going on and he had picked Bella up on the way to the office so she could help him find out what. They had only been in the office five minutes when Mike took a call from Jacob who had called to say they were pulling out of the deal, and if they wanted to know why, they should ask Edward Cullen. When Mike questioned Jacob what he meant, Jacob said "we don't deal with people who don't keep their word" and put the phone down.

Mike turned to Bella who was sitting in her office still weeping off and on. "What's going on Bella, why would Jacob pull out because of something Edward has or hasn't done? Do you know anything about this?"

Bella nodded her head and started crying again. "Edward has signed up for two more films with Tanya. Mike, the filming of the fourth one probably clashes with our film so he's probably had to drop out. If he's not in it, then our Director said he didn't want to do it, which is probably why Jacob has pulled out. He said when we met him that he was only interested in our film because it was that particular Director."

"Your boyfriend is a bastard" Mike said and threw his phone across the office, smashing it to pieces against a filing cabinet.

* * *

When the interviews were finally over, Edward went back to his room and phoned Alice. She answered on the second ring.

"She doesn't want to talk to you Edward. She told me to tell you to phone Mike, and explain to him why the backer has dropped out of the movie."

"What!"

Edward's knees went from underneath him and he staggered to the nearest chair. Tanya had double-crossed him and had pulled the plug anyway.

"You mean you didn't know?" Alice said scathingly. "Apparently some guy named Jacob phoned Mike this afternoon and told him to ask you why they were pulling out. You're a shit Edward, now go fuck your own life up now and leave us alone."

"I want to talk to Bella."

"No Edward, she doesn't want to see you again. You've broken her heart."

"I'm coming over."

"She's not here, she left about half an hour ago with a backpack."

"Do you know where she's gone?"

"Yes, but I'm not telling you."

"Alice, I want you to listen to me for thirty seconds and then you can hang up and not speak to me for the rest of your life if that's what you want."

"Your time's running out Edward."

"It's not what you think, I have been set up, big time. Everything I have done in the last thirty six hours was for Bella and it has come back on me and kicked me in the balls."

"Ten seconds."

"Tell Bella I love her and I'll sort this out."

"'Bye Edward." The phone went silent.

Edward tried to call Mike but the line was dead as though it had been disconnected. He sat there not knowing what to do next. He could go over to Bella's just in case Alice was lying, but he had no evidence to show Bella that he had in effect been blackmailed.

Tanya! Whatever happened he was going to have a showdown with Tanya. He knew where her suite was so he stormed out of the room and banged on her door. Jacob opened it with a satisfied grin on his face.

Edward pushed past him. "You fucking bitch – you just had to do it, you jealous, evil witch!"

Tanya laughed and got up pointing her finger at him. He wanted to snap it off and shove it in her eye.

"I was prepared to honour the deal, but then you went and blabbed to the press that you had a girlfriend, so it was tit for tat as far as I was concerned. You fucked me over so I've done the same to you."

"What do you mean I've fucked you over – we never ever had a fucking relationship?"

"Go on YouTube you idiot and watch your interviews and then watch my interviews. In your interviews you've told the world and his wife that you're screwing a Yankee. In my interviews I've said our relationship is going strong, making me look like a pathetic ex-girlfriend. YOU FUCKED ME OVER EDWARD – THAT'S WHY I PULLED THE PLUG ON YOUR WHORE'S MOVIE."

Tanya was screaming now and Edward realised that the fallout from this was going to be epic. They had a premiere to do tomorrow and then the London interviews and the premiere after that.

Edward turned and walked out of the room defeated. He knew he had been impulsive and stupid telling the press about Bella, and now Mike and Tyler were ruined. Life couldn't get any worse.

He went back to his room and saw that he had a message from Jasper.

"Fuck You"

Edward never felt so alone in his life as at that moment.

* * *

Kate poured out another drink for Edward and watched him gulp it down in one. "Did you try to contact Bella or Mike again while you were in New York?

"No, I knew it wasn't worth it – I had no evidence to prove that I had been blackmailed and I was too exhausted to think clearly."

"How was the New York premiere?"

"I just got through it – the whole day was a blur. I drank practically every shot that was in the fridge in my suite so I was three sheets to the wind when I walked down the red carpet. Nobody seemed to have noticed thank goodness. I fell asleep in the theatre and went back to the hotel once the after-show party had started, blaming a headache.

"So what happened in London?" Kate was pressing him now to finish the story. He had related this part quite calmly, that is he hadn't cried again. It was almost as though he could look back at the events philosophically rather than personally which was a step forward.

Edward stood up and stretched. Sitting on the floor was uncomfortable, even in this idyllic meadow, so he walked around a bit waving his arms like a windmill.

After a minute, he sat back down on the blanket and related the events leading up to when he collided with Kate nearly two days ago.

* * *

Before he left New York Edward wrote two letters and arranged for a courier to deliver them. One was to Bella and the other was to Mike. He explained to both of them what had happened in James's office. He had worked out that Jacob had probably pulled the plug on the film before Edward said anything to Bob from Fox News about having a girlfriend, so it was Tanya's intention all along to finish the film and Mike and Tyler along with it, all to get back at him and Bella.

He told Bella that he would love her until the day he died and he promised Mike he would do anything he asked to help him out of this mess and that he was sorry he had become caught up in Tanya's vendetta.

He didn't know where either Bella or Mike were, so the letters were delivered to her apartment and his office respectively in the hope that they would read them sooner rather than later.

He flew to Heathrow overnight and was taken to his hotel in London. Before he went to his room, he asked the desk to arrange a courier to take a letter that he had written on the plane to Jasper's address and that he didn't want to be disturbed.

He needed to sleep because he wasn't able to on the plane, even though he was in first class, so he lay down on the bed. Sleep didn't come to him though as the events of the past few days churned over and over in his brain.

The reality of the situation he was in finally hit him:

_He had lost Bella_

_Mike and Tyler had lost their business and were massively in debt_

_His best friend didn't want to speak to him anymore_

_Professionally he was fucked_

_He had no close friends to speak of_

_He had no family to turn to_

What was the point of living any longer? He could walk out of this hotel straight into the path of a London bus – only his fans would care. Tanya would have to find a new leading man then he thought!

What would happen if he went missing? He could orchestrate his disappearance – take on a new identity, grow a beard and live in a cottage in the Lake District tending sheep all day or something like that.

He lay there staring at the ornate ceiling trying to make sense of his life when his cell phone rang. It was James giving him details of the press conference being held that evening. Rather than individual interviews, Emmett, Tanya and James were holding a 'Meet the Press' event in London. James wanted him downstairs by quarter to seven and they would go on stage at seven.

"So what do I say about my girlfriend in New York, who is not my girlfriend any more by the way?" Edward spat at James.

"I'm sorry about Bella, genuinely I am," James replied "but a press release was issued when you were over the Atlantic to say you were joking about having a New York girlfriend, as you were fed up being asked about your personal life. You will be sending apologies to all the reporters 'you lied to' by the way."

Edward grunted his response to that ending with a "Fuck You" as he ended the call. He didn't think James heard but he frankly couldn't care if he did. He got up and poured himself a brandy from the drinks cabinet and downed it in one go. "Dutch courage" he said to himself.

He should really have a shower he thought and took his watch off in anticipation, putting it next to his phone by the bed. He picked it up and called Alice but she didn't respond. He tried Mike's number again but it was still dead. Out of desperation he tried Bella's number, hoping that she had got a new phone by now and had transferred the number. It rang, but no-one answered. He heard a knock on his door but he ignored it – it's probably Jane he thought.

Then he thought about the hotel's phone. Maybe if Bella or Alice didn't recognise the number they might answer it. He picked the hotel phone up and got an outside line. Firstly he dialled Bella, nothing; then he tried Alice. The phone rang for a moment and then success, Alice picked up!

"Alice, it's Edward, don't hang up."

"What do you want?"

"I'm going to ask one thing, did Bella get my letter?"

"No, it's still waiting for her on the kitchen table."

Edward's hand went straight to his groin as the memory of the events on the kitchen table came flooding back into his mind.

"When is she due home?"

"That's two questions."

"Just tell me Alice."

"Later today, goodbye Edward."

Edward tried Jasper's number, but he wasn't picking up either so he got off the bed and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. It was already a quarter to seven so it was too late to shower, but he didn't give a fuck what he looked like. He wasn't even going to change into his suit.

He stood in front of the bathroom mirror and saw an image of himself that he didn't recognise. Who was this stranger looking back at him? He wasn't a man any more, he was a commodity, to be bought and sold at somebody else's whim. How had he let himself get into this situation for fuck sake? Tears started rolling down his cheeks at the futility of his life – the only reason people wanted to know him was because he made them rich. Without Bella or Jasper he had no-one and without friends or family, or someone to love, what was the fucking point?

Downstairs in the conference room there were a hundred journalists waiting for him who thought they had the right to know everything about him, his career, his future, his private life – even who he was screwing! His world had gone fucking mad.

At that moment, standing in the bathroom of this grand old hotel, Edward screamed out one of the most famous lines from one of his favourite films:

"**I'm mad as hell. I'm not going to take this anymore."**

He knew what he had to do then. Fuck the film, fuck the contract he signed, he couldn't care less whether they sued him for every penny in his bank account and more, he wasn't setting a foot on any set that had Tanya Fucking Denali on it. Should he even go to this farce of a press conference? No! Fuck that as well. He was off; he was getting as far away from this place as possible.

He went back to the bed and tried Bella's number again from the hotel telephone and there was no answer, so he threw the whole phone across the bed and it landed on floor out of view. He put his shoes on and walked straight out of the room, not looking back. He had his room key in his pocket – he would come back for his things later.

He was out in the corridor looking left and right, wondering how he was going to get out of the hotel without being seen and then he recalled his previous stay in this hotel with Bella, when they had escaped via the service elevator to the kitchen. He walked quickly down the corridor, turned two corners and there was the elevator in front of him. He pressed the call button and heard the cables in the lift shaft start to grind together. The doors opened and he stepped inside and pushed the button with 'K' on it, presuming it was K for kitchen. The elevator gave a little jolt and Edward started on his way down to the kitchen and to freedom.

He tentatively walked into the bright, stainless steel kitchen where several men were working chopping this and that and melodramatically throwing ingredients into pans on huge ranges. He thought he could remember the way out, so he walked slowly through the noisy space. Not a head was turned, no-one bothered him. He turned right and recognised the corridor that led to the door to the courtyard where the white van had waited for him. There would be no white van today – he just hoped and prayed that there would be no paparazzi waiting for him at the back of the hotel.

He walked down the corridor towards the door in front of him and put his fingers on the handle. If he went out of the door he would be walking away from life as he knew it into the unknown. As he rubbed the last tear from his eye, he slowly turned the handle which led to the world outside and freedom , and so,

_On a warm summer evening in the heart of central London, at the rear entrance of a grand five-star hotel, a narrow door leading onto a cluttered courtyard opened and a tall figure emerged on the threshold. Gazing past the refuse containers and stacks of cardboard boxes that were piled high against the walls, Edward Cullen hesitated before taking his next step, a step that would change his life forever. _

Kate was putting everything back in the picnic basket as Edward finished the story.

"And then I met you Kate."

"Yes you did – just in time!"


	26. Chapter 26

Edward had told Kate what had happened that afternoon and evening in the hotel which had led him to being on the street where she found him.

What he didn't know was that when Bella got back to her apartment in New York, she had opened Edward's letter and read it and then passed it to Alice, who promptly took Bella in her arms while she sobbed uncontrollably.

Another package had arrived for Bella by courier that morning, marked urgent, and when she had calmed down she opened it. Inside the envelope were a DVD and a handwritten letter from James. In the letter he asked her to watch the DVD and left her his cell phone number, telling her to call him if she needed to, anytime.

Alice offered to put the DVD in the machine because Bella's hands were shaking so much and they sat closely together on the sofa while the machine fired up. The first shot they saw was a view of the back of James's head as he was sitting at what Bella presumed was his desk. After a few seconds she saw and heard Edward walking into his office, drop down onto a sofa and put his feet on James's coffee table. Bella smiled at his cheek but then concentrated hard on what was being said. She heard him refuse point blank to do another film and then she stiffened when she saw Tanya walk in with her agent and another man who she instantly recognised as Jacob.

Bella grasped Alice by the hand as they witnessed the face-off between these two enemies and the utter despair in Edward's face when he knew that he had been cornered. She watched him sign his life away and then heard him calling Tanya a coke-head or something like that. When he defended Bella and declared that he was in love with her and "he intended to marry Bella", she bent double and cried out with grief.

"What have I done Alice, I didn't trust him! I wasn't there when he needed me. He won't ever forgive me." Bella was distraught that she had thought the worst of him and had ultimately let him down at the very time he needed love and support.

Alice held her tightly until she had calmed down and then picked Bella's new phone up and gave it to her. "Call him. Call him now."

Bella's hands were shaking as she punched in his number, but in a hotel room three and a half thousand miles away, his cell phone was lying next to his bed in an empty hotel room and Edward was colliding with Kate in a nearby street.

* * *

_Meanwhile in Alaska, the Chairman of a multi-national company had received a courier delivery of a package containing a DVD accompanied by two letters, one from James and one from Emmett McCarty. The letter from James asked him to watch the DVD and then call him to discuss the content. The letter from Emmett enlightened him to the fact that his daughter was a coke addict and enclosed photographic evidence of her using and dealing cocaine. He also stated that even though they had been friends for years, he would never work with his daughter again and he doubted anybody in the film world industry would want to do so either._

_The shocked Chairman crossed his office to the door and locked it so he wouldn't be disturbed and then inserted the DVD into his laptop and viewed the drama from the vantage point of the hidden camera and microphone in James's office. He watched the showdown between his daughter and Edward, feeling let down by her uncouth behaviour, but really he wasn't that interested about the wheeler dealings of the film industry; but he sat bolt upright in his chair when he noticed Jacob Black standing in the corner of the room._

_"What the hell is he doing with Tanya?" he thought, sensing correctly that dodgy dealings were going on behind his back, as Jacob Black was duty bound to report directly to him about everything and he did not have the authority to do business on his own. He was astounded that he knew Tanya and was instantly suspicious of Jacob's intentions._

_He watched the rest of the DVD with much more interest and then sat back in his chair to mull over what he had just witnessed and learned and he wasn't happy. Picking up the phone on his desk he spoke to his PA. "I want to see Jacob Black in my office yesterday. I don't care where he is, get him."_

* * *

Bella went into her bedroom and threw herself face down on the bed. She wanted to hold Edward and say sorry and kiss him a million times, but he was thousands of miles away.

She picked her phone up again and sent him a text message:

"**Please forgive me Edward for not trusting you. I love you so much. I'm so sorry."**

Bella lay there thinking what she should do to show Edward how sorry she was and how much she loved him and then she shot off the bed and ran into the living room. "I'm going to London, I'm going to get Edward back" she announced to a shocked Alice who was on the phone, then ran back into her room and started flinging stuff into a suitcase.

Alice had been talking to Jasper, telling him what was on the DVD and that Edward had been blackmailed. He heard Bella shout her intention to come to London and he had an idea. "Why don't you come too Alice, just in case Edward doesn't want to see her and then she won't be on her own."

"Good idea" Alice shrieked. She ended the call quickly and ran into Bella's room. "I'm going to London too!"

As Alice and Bella were running around their apartment, throwing clothes, toothbrushes and passports into various bags, Edward was climbing into Kate's car and being driven away from London and life as he knew it.

* * *

Kate stood up. "We need to get back" she said and they set off towards where the boat was moored. Edward looked back at the meadow before it disappeared behind the curtain of trees. He was determined to come back here one day with Bella, to show her this little bit of heaven that existed in the Berkshire countryside.

Edward's head was clearer now. He had been able to tell Kate the end of the story without getting emotional and he had the impression that he was actually coming to terms with what had happened. Even though he had no idea what the future held for him, he felt optimistic for the first time since leaving James's office in LA. Whereas before he believed that his own stupidity and naivety had been the prime cause of the situation he had found himself in, talking about the events that led up to it with Kate had convinced him that the decisions he made were unselfish and he was only thinking of others.

He knew in his heart that he had the strength now to fight his corner and to go back and sort his life out rather than just running away from the problem. Explaining why he had abandoned the press conference and the premiere was going to be difficult, but winning back Bella's trust and love was his only concern. Nothing else really mattered. He had to get back to London.

They reached the boat and loaded all their stuff in. Edward cast off and Kate let him steer the boat down the channel towards Kate's house. It wasn't long before he spotted the boathouse ahead of him and he managed to moor it in the confined space on his second attempt.

He helped Kate out of the boat and they walked along the bank back to the garden gate. As he opened it for Kate he said "I'd like to go back to London tonight – would that be alright?"

Kate put her hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes, I am."

"Go and clean yourself up then and I'll drive you back."

"Thank you Kate – thank you for everything" he said and went to his room for the last time.

Kate reversed the Range Rover out of the drive and drove up to the end of a stony track. Edward had not seen the front of the house since they had arrived on that dark, starry night in what seemed like a lifetime ago. She turned onto a narrow road and Edward realised how isolated Kate's house was as there weren't any other properties nearby. They reached a road junction where there was a gas station and a shop called 'Newton Stores' that had an ice cream sign outside of it. Kate turned left onto the main road and Edward settled down for the trip to London.

Spending the afternoon in the warm and sunny meadow had made him feel sleepy. He could still smell the flowers and hear the bees buzzing and he shut his eyes to see if he could recall what he felt when he first saw that idyllic place. He wanted to preserve the feeling of peace he had there, so that he could resurrect it in his mind when life got too much to handle in the future. Within a couple of minutes he was asleep.

They had been driving for about an hour when Kate shook his arm gently and Edward opened his eyes, surprised to see that they were already back in central London. "Where do you want me to drop you?" Kate asked as she skilfully jumped from lane to lane.

"Umm, where you found me would be good. I need to get my stuff from the hotel."

"What are you going to do?"

"Well I had arranged to stay on in the hotel for a few days. I have an appointment with my lawyer this week about my grandmother's house – after that, I don't know. Maybe go to New York and see whether I can patch things up with Bella."

Edward could tell that they were getting close to the hotel and he realised he was going to have to say goodbye to Kate very soon. He suddenly felt emotional and he didn't know what he was going to say to her. She had rescued him when he needed rescuing, she had listened to him when he needed an audience, she had housed him, she had fed him, she had helped him come to terms with what had happened and now he felt ready to face the world, but was he ready to say goodbye?

He recalled a conversation that they had had when she told him she was a Counsellor. She was right when she said that the majority of her clients knew the answers to their problems and just needed to draw on their own life experiences in order to resolve their fears and anxieties. Edward had done just that; speaking about the past had made him realise that he wasn't anyone's puppet anymore; he was a strong person who was going to make the most of his life, hopefully with Bella at his side.

Kate turned the car into a side road and then made a few more turns and they were back at the spot where she found him almost exactly forty-eight hours ago.

"Goodbye Edward and Good Luck" she said and leant over and kissed him on the cheek. "You'll be fine, I know it."

"Kate, I don't know how to thank you, you have been my saviour." Edward leaned over and took Kate in his arms, hugging her tightly.

When he let go, Kate reached over to the back seat and picked up a large brown envelope that had been lying there. She handed it to Edward. "This is for you, don't look now – wait until you are back in the hotel."

"Thanks" Edward said, "Will I see you again Kate?"

"Just look in the envelope" she said and smiled. "Now off you go or you'll be late!"

"Late for what?"

"You'll see."

Edward got out the car clutching the envelope. "Thanks again Kate – you saved my life."

Kate waved her hand at him and drove off, leaving Edward standing in the empty road. He heard the familiar sound of Big Ben chime once meaning that it was a quarter past something, but he had no idea of the time. He walked slowly towards the back of the hotel and walked across the courtyard and back to reality.

He saw the door to the kitchen; it was open thank goodness and he was just about to walk onto the step when Jane came flying out of the door.

"Where the fuck have you been Edward? There are a hundred journalists waiting for you in there!"


	27. Chapter 27

"What are you talking about!" Edward looked at her as though she was raving mad.

"The press conference you idiot; have you been smoking crack or something? Get in here and get in that elevator."

She got hold of Edward by the arm and hauled him into the building, dragging him through the kitchen towards the elevator that would take them to the conference suite.

"Hold on a second Jane" Edward got hold of her by her shoulders. "Are you telling me that those guys have been waiting for two days?"

"What do you mean two days – you're only about twenty minutes late Edward, don't panic. Anyway they've all had free drinks courtesy of the production company ha ha!"

The elevator doors opened and Jane pushed Edward inside and hit the button for the conference suite floor.

"Jane, stop – please! I need to get my head round something first and I also need to make a phone call before I go in there."

Jane reached into her jacket pocket. "Your phone – it was by your bed."

Edward grabbed the phone off her just as the elevator doors opened. James was standing not far away and when he saw Edward he raised his eyes to heaven in grateful thanks and said "Where the fuck have you been?"

"Not now James – make some excuses, tell them I will be there in ten minutes. I need some time."

Edward walked into a small office and shut the door, locking it from the inside. He put the envelope down on the desk and switched on his phone. He saw there was a message from Bella and he opened it, dreading its contents;

"**Please forgive me Edward for not trusting you. I love you so much. I'm so sorry."**

Edward let out a cry of relief and sank to his knees. He immediately phoned her back and Bella picked up on the first ring.

"Edward! I'm so sorry. I should have listened to my heart. Will you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive Bella – I love you more than my own life."

"I'm on my way to JFK. I'll be with you tomorrow morning. Are you OK?"

"Yes ... No ... some really weird stuff has been happening to me. I don't know which way is up at the moment. All I know for certain is that you are the most important thing in my life and I don't ever want to be apart from you again."

"Me too – stuff has been going on here as well. By the way, don't be hard on James. I love you Edward – see you soon."

Edward hung up – what was that about James?

His phone beeped with another message, this time from Jasper.

"Un-fuck you!"

"OK!"

"Time's up Edward – Showtime!" James shouted through the keyhole and Edward opened the door.

"What's going on James?"

James winked at him and said in a furtive whisper "Just go out there and make some headlines. Forget about who's watching, just tell'm like it is."

"What the hell is he talking about?" Edward thought to himself, but followed James like a lamb to the slaughter. "Here goes nothing" he thought.

Edward could see Tanya ready to go on stage. Emmett had already taken his seat on the middle chair so thankfully they wouldn't be sitting next to each other. Tanya's name was announced and she flounced on stage with a small wave to her adoring public.

Edward turned to James before his name was called. "Why did Bella tell me not to be hard on you?"

"Ah! You've spoken to her. Just remember this Edward, in this business you never know who your true friends or enemies are."

Edward's name was called and James shoved him onto the stage. After apologising for his lateness and his appearance, which probably helped to convince the audience more than anything that he actually was stuck in traffic, he took his seat and Emmett gave him an encouraging nod and smile.

The first questions were about the movie. They had been asked them a hundred times already on the promotional tour but they smiled sweetly and answered them like true professionals. Edward was asked about his working relationship with Emmett and he said that he was the best director he had ever worked with and he hoped to work with him again in the future. Emmett gave him an affirmative thumbs up.

The sticky question about Edward and Tanya's relationship was raised next. Edward was asked about the comments he had made that he had a girlfriend in New York. He answered this by saying that he was tired of talking about this aspect of his private life and he would not discuss it further. There was a rumble of disquiet in the audience and Edward received a filthy look from Tanya.

The vulture sitting in the front row spotted this but kept quiet for the moment, biding his time.

Edward was watching the audience carefully. At the back he could see two of the producers that had visited the set while he was filming talking to each other, nodding their heads. Edward presumed they were happy with the way things were going at the moment but that wasn't going to last long.

The Director of Operations was trying to get every journalist to ask at least one question and he indicated to a guy in the middle that it was his turn. The man stood up and when the microphone reached him he said "Hi Edward. There was a press release issued in LA a few days ago saying that you had signed to make two more films, however the word on the street was that you were insistent this one would be your last one – could you clarify this for us please?"

Edward cleared his throat. "Yes, sure Dave, Hi." He recognised the guy from previous interviews. "I'm going to give you an exclusive." The audience laughed.

"I did sign a contract in LA but since then I have decided not to do any more of these films. I know I have left myself open to be sued and I am prepared to go to court, but this is my final word."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the audience. Edward noticed the two guys at the back were on their cell phones already and pacing up and down.

Tanya half got up from her seat and if looks could kill, Edward would be six feet under by now.

Dave was given the chance to ask another question. "Do you think the series will carry on without you Edward?"

Edward chuckled. "Of course it will – the PR people are probably already plotting, sorry I mean planning the campaign to find my replacement. I mean how many James Bond's have there been? The publicity to find our replacements will be great for the series and will keep it fresh. Tanya and I have done three movies together; I think the public would soon get bored with us if we went on and on, playing the same parts."

Dave was on a roll now and he was gripping onto the microphone like it was a life raft. "You said 'our' replacements. Does that mean Tanya is leaving the series too?"

"You'd better ask Tanya that – maybe she would like a new partner, but it is up to the casting director whether he wants to start afresh. Anyway, Tanya is always inundated with film offers – I'm sure she won't be disappearing from our screens anytime soon."

Edward knew damn well that Tanya had not received one offer since starting these films and he tried to stifle a laugh by drinking some water straight from the bottle.

The Director of Operations pointed to the vulture who did not bother standing up as he was sitting in the front row. He waited for the microphone to come to him.

"Edward, what made you change your mind and sign in LA when you had been so insistent this was your last film and why have you chosen tonight to announce that you have changed your mind again?"

Edward sat there for a minute recalling the meeting in James's office. He knew the word 'blackmail' couldn't be spoken here and he thought rapidly about how to answer the question diplomatically.

"I was put on the spot in LA. These films are lucrative for the investors and also hundreds of people's jobs depend on them. I was convinced at the time that it was the right thing to do for all concerned."

"So why did you change your mind then?"

"It was right for all concerned apart from me! My private life has been under the spotlight for years and I realised that the people I love the most were suffering because of this. When I actually convinced myself that no-one in the world is irreplaceable, including me, and the world would keep turning and the fourth film would still be made if I joined a monastery or was run over by a bus, I made the decision to quit."

"Did anyone help you make this decision?" The vulture was fishing for the 'girlfriend's' name. He suspected that what Edward said in New York was true as he had seen the vitriol in Tanya's eyes when he refused to confirm their relationship again.

"Yes, someone did. A friend of mine called Kate. I've been having counselling recently."

There was an audible gasp from the audience and then Edward continued.

"She encouraged me to take stock of my life, to decide for myself which direction I wanted to go professionally and more importantly to put my personal life ahead of everything."

Another sharp intake of breath was heard from the audience; this was journalism gold, but would never be an 'exclusive' as every newspaper or magazine with an entertainments page would be running this story tomorrow. Edward had never talked so frankly about himself before and they were already writing their columns in their heads for their editors to go ape-shit over.

Many eyes were on Tanya now as she was turning a funny colour. She was practically frothing at the mouth and Edward could see her gripping the edge of the table with both hands and her knuckles were turning white.

Her agent was standing in the wings with his hand over his eyes wondering how the hell he was going to sort this one out. He knew Tanya's career was disappearing down the Swany River and frankly he had taken so much shit from this harridan that he was relieved, but he still had to survive the fall-out from this.

Another reporter was offered the microphone. "Do you really expect to be sued Edward?"

"I don't know – I said it as a joke before. I doubt it though. It would be bad publicity for the film series and the production company would also have to prove loss of earnings I believe which would take years, but this series will be successful without me, so wait and see."

Attention turned to Tanya.

"Tanya – what are your plans for the future?"

Tanya had temporarily lost the power of speech – she was confused and furious. This was not supposed to happen – he had signed a fucking contract! While Edward was talking she knew he was adamant that he would never make a film with her again, but at least she had wrecked his independent film, which gave her satisfaction and her father's lawyers would have a field day with him over this and sue his ass off no matter what he said now.

Money was power and by using her father's name and influence, she had wielded a lot of it to establish her career and now the studio danced to her tune. She decided that she would make it her life's ambition to make Edward's life hell from now on and ruin his career– nobody beats Tanya Denali at her own game.

Tanya smiled sweetly at the audience. "I haven't any firm plans at the moment" she spluttered, "but I have a lot of offers on the table to choose from. I'm looking forward to a long holiday first though."

There were quite a few sniggers from the audience at this, as they could smell the bullshit in the back row.

The Director of Operations signalled that he was winding up.

"One more question please."

"Tanya – Edward, are you looking forward to the premiere tomorrow?"

Tanya was already on her feet, anxious to get off the stage. She nodded her head and said "Yes" through gritted teeth.

Edward said "very much so – London is my hometown, I always enjoy being here."

Edward stood up and smiled at the audience. There was a quick photo opportunity as Edward and Emmett stood with their arm on each other's shoulder. Tanya had disappeared into the wings with her agent and finally Emmett and Edward left the stage together.

As expected, Tanya was waiting for him backstage. "You, you, you bastard, you haven't heard the last of this. I'm going to finish you – you'll never work in this industry again."

Edward looked at the slavering, seething Barbie doll in front of him and although he was sorely tempted to respond, he knew it wasn't worth it, in fact it would annoy her even more if he just walked away laughing, so he did.


	28. Chapter 28

Emmett had invited Edward to his room for a drink and after speaking briefly to James, he made his way to his suite. He wanted to go back to his room to get his head around the events of the day but he didn't want to offend his Director who had been so supportive at the press conference.

Emmett opened the door and shook him by the hand. "You've made the right choice Edward – you need to spread your wings now and move on."

Edward could sense that Emmett wanted to tell him something but it was only after probably the fourth or fifth whiskey that he found out what had happened that day on set when the producers turned up.

"Tanya's father owns the studio – his company control it but he hardly ever visited, leaving the management of it to his staff. The production company behind these films is also owned by Tanya's father, which is how she got the part in the first place. It certainly wasn't because of talent. She didn't even audition for the role, in fact she has never had an audition in her life – her whole career was courtesy of her father who paid the bills.

Emmett elaborated further. "Tanya had been throwing her weight around on set, interfering with every aspect of the production. After our little set-to at the first meeting, she got some of the big-boys down from Head Office to bully me, threatening me with being black-listed in the future if I didn't make the film how she wanted, etc. While the big guns were shouting their mouths off, I pulled out pictures that had been taken on set of Tanya snorting coke and photos of her off set dealing coke. I told these little twerps that these photos would go to Daddy and onto the internet if they didn't back off. Tanya's agent got involved that day and apparently he conveniently let slip to James what had happened.

"Tanya got to hear about the photos through her agent, which shut her up for a while. She was anxious that her father wasn't going to find out so she cooled it. I sat on the photos until I heard from James that you had been blackmailed into signing up for more films, so I gave the photos and a letter to James to pass on to her father and now Daddy knows that his little girl is a dealer."

Emmett toasted himself with another shot of whiskey and then asked the question that had been bugging him since James contacted him.

"I still don't understand how they got you to sign. What the hell did they blackmail you with or don't you want to say?"

Edward told Emmett about Mike and Tyler's film and he was appalled when he heard the whole story.

"Jesus Edward, I knew she was bad news, but not this bad. Look, I know people who know people – I'll see what I can do."

Edward was tired so he said goodnight and went back to his room. His mind was whirling so much with what had happened in the last few hours that he thought he might be going mad.

Two days ago he had walked out of this hotel. He had spent exactly forty eight hours with Kate, but when Jane found him, no time had elapsed. He knew that he hadn't been dreaming; he could remember every minute that he was with her, what they had said, what he had eaten, the things they had done. There was no way that was a dream. He remembered the smell of the bread in the morning, her garden, the stars, their walks along the river. It was too real, it was too vivid.

Lying on his bed he realised that he would not be able to talk to anyone about what had happened, because who in their right mind would believe him? Could he even tell Bella? He had no evidence, nothing.

Edward suddenly remembered the brown envelope that Kate had given him; he had left it downstairs in the office by the conference room when he was at the press conference. He meant to pick it up later but totally forgot. He ran out of his room and not bothering to wait for the elevator, sprinted down the stairs until he got to the conference room floor.

There was no-one around and the floor was eerily quiet. He found the office and fortunately it wasn't locked; he put the light on and went in but the envelope wasn't where he left it. He searched in the drawers, under the table, on the shelves, in the waste bin, but it had gone. He searched in all the other rooms but the envelope had disappeared.

Defeated, he went back to his room using the elevator this time, showered and went to bed. He didn't know what time Bella was due to land, or even what flight she was on, so he left a message with Reception that he was expecting her and that she wasn't a fan trying to by-pass security.

He lay in bed unable to sleep, partially due to excitement that he would be holding Bella again in a few hours, but also because he couldn't stop himself recalling his time with Kate. He knew he hadn't imagined it, his memories were just too real! He remembered the boat trip, the island, the flowers – everything. Christ, he remembered waking up in Kate's bed and wondering what the hell happened.

More importantly, and what convinced him the most that he wasn't losing his mind, was that when he left the hotel 'two days ago' and heard Big Ben strike seven, he was in a bad way, he was angry, depressed, almost suicidal; but when he left Kate's car and heard Big Ben strike seven fifteen, he was optimistic, focussed, determined to confront his demons and get on with his life. Could he have turned himself around in those fifteen minutes without the help of his Counsellor?

Edward chuckled to himself. Maybe Kate was a time-lord, like Doctor Who, and her car was her Tardis? Maybe there was there one of those worm-hole thingies that astronomers talk about in the street outside and he had disappeared down it like Alice in Wonderland or better still, he'd had an experience like the children in The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe – they disappeared into the back of the wardrobe and lived for about ten years in Narnia and then came back to the real world and no time had elapsed?

There had to be a rational explanation – he wasn't on drugs, he hadn't had a puff of weed for almost three years, but what the fuck was it?

Edward eventually fell asleep, no nearer to a solution to the mystery, but he had made up his mind that he was going to try and find Kate. He knew roughly where her house was. He would go back to Maidenhead and ask around. Someone would know her. If not, he would walk every tributary of the Thames until he found her garden gate and the island. Then he would be able to introduce her to Bella and hopefully they would all become friends.

* * *

He woke the next morning to the sound of his cell phone. It was Bella and he could have sworn he could hear Alice in the background. "I'm in a cab Edward" she squealed excitedly. "I'll be with you in about forty minutes. The cab is going to drop Alice off at Jasper's first – I love you."

Edward jumped out of bed and headed to the bathroom for a shower. "Should I bother getting dressed?" he asked himself with a smirk, his thoughts coming straight from his pants.

He planned to meet her in the foyer but about thirty minutes later there was a loud bang on the door. He opened it and Bella launched herself into his arms much to the amusement of the porter who was carrying her luggage, and they clung to each other, burying their faces into each other's necks then covering each other's faces with kisses. They were both crying and words of love and devotion passed between them until they eventually gained control of themselves.

They sat down on the sofa and Bella curled up in Edward's lap like a child while Edward stroked her hair and brushed away the occasional tear that ran down her cheeks. "Edward, I'm so, so sorry. I should have spoken to you before jumping to conclusions. I should have known there would be an explanation for what you did. Can you ever forgive me?"

"Bella, there is nothing to forgive. I love you, you love me, we're together now and nothing will keep us apart." Edward put his hands on her face and turned it so their eyes locked together. "You are my number one priority now – my life is nothing without you. I've had a chance to reflect on my life over the last few days and I know what's important now - and that is you, and Jasper, and Alice even."

Bella clung to him; she was never going to let him go. She thought she had lost him, the love of her life, her soul mate; Edward was 'it' for her and her home was now with him, forever.

They hugged and kissed each other reassuringly then Bella out of the blue said "Who is Kate?"

Edward looked at her in surprise. "How do you know about Kate?"

"I read the papers this morning in the cab – at your press conference last night you mentioned someone called Kate and that you'd had counselling – I didn't know that you'd seen a shrink?"

Edward didn't know what to say – the explanation of who Kate was and the story to go with it was too ludicrous and too long to be told today; he needed to prepare for the premiere tonight and then he would sit down with Bella and tell her what had happened to him, or what he thought had happened. Now wasn't the time.

"I'll tell you about it later – can I just say that Kate helped me find myself and leave it like that at the moment?"

"OK – sounds interesting though."

That was the understatement of the year!

There was a knock on their door so Edward lifted Bella off his lap, depositing her on the sofa and had a look through spy-hole. "It's James" he whispered to Bella.

Bella jumped off the sofa and flung the door open then threw her arms around a very surprised James.

"What the fuck?" Edward stood there looking amazed at the sight of his girlfriend embracing his overjoyed agent and James in turn was beaming at him from ear to ear as Bella dragged him inside and plonked him down on the sofa. She told Edward then about the DVD recording of the meeting in LA but as she was relating the story, Edward looked a bit downcast for a second and Bella guessed what had upset him

"Edward, I had already made up my mind that you had acted honestly and in my best interests because of what you wrote in your letter. Ask Alice, she was there. James's video was just confirming what I knew in my heart all along, that you are a decent, honest man who was prepared to sell his soul to the devil rather than see your friends suffer.

Bella's words convinced Edward and he shook James by the hand. "Thanks for doing that – but why did you film the meeting– did you know what Tanya was going to do?"

"I guessed she had something up her sleeve Edward – but to be honest, I recorded what happened to protect myself. Her father's company wields an extraordinary amount of power in the film industry which is why I didn't say a word. I didn't want to be implicated."

Edward mulled over what he said. "If her father still has the power, then that must mean Tanya does too – she could do an astonishing amount of damage to me and to you if she wanted to?"

"Yes I suppose she could, but I made another copy of the DVD and sent it to her father, along with a letter from Emmett that gave him firm proof that Tanya is a coke addict and a dealer. Her father is fiercely anti-drugs so I would guess that Tanya is fucked in his eyes."

"Also, I've heard on the grapevine that he didn't know that Jacob and Tanya were an item and knew nothing about the subsidiary company set up to trap you and finish Mike and Tyler. Apparently Jacob set it up with the help of another rogue lawyer in his company, so Jacob is probably on his way to Alaska right now and is more than likely going to be torn to pieces and fed to the wolves."

This last bit of news was new to Bella but the whole story took Edward completely by surprise. He sat trying to contemplate the hate and contempt that controlled Tanya's sad life and how she had come to be like she was. For a brief moment he actually felt sorry for her, but it was only brief. He hoped that after tonight he would never see her again.

"So guys – are you looking forward to the premiere?" James stood up to leave, knowing that Bella had just arrived and they probably needed some 'alone time.'

"I'll just watch it on the television" Bella said, feeling sorry that Edward had to run the gauntlet of the press again.

"Oh no" Edward almost shouted. "You're coming with me. I'm introducing you to the world tonight as my girlfriend."

Bella went bright red. "What! No way Jose – anyway, I have nothing to wear."

"We'll soon sort that out" Edward said and sprang up and walked over to the desk and picked up the hotel phone. Soon he was talking to his London 'personal shopper' who promised to drop by later and "sort Bella out."

James left the room after arranging to meet Edward and Bella in the foyer at six thirty and they were alone again.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Bella asked Edward.

"I've been living a lie for the past three years Bella, it's over, no more. You're my girlfriend and I want you with me tonight."

Bella put her arms around his neck and kissed him. He lifted her up and carried her into the bedroom and he laid her on the same ornate oak bed where they had made love for the first time and where he was going to make love to her again, right now. Bella was home and it was a home that he would never give her cause to leave again.


	29. Chapter 29

Bella stood in the hotel foyer with Edward knowing that outside were ranks of photographers waiting for Edward to step out of the door. She looked at the handsome man standing at her side with his arm around her waist and thought "you are one lucky bitch."

Edward was looking at Bella with love and pride in his eyes. His personal shopper had pulled out all the stops, finding Bella a stunning full length sapphire and silver gown that shimmered as it clung to her slim body. It was a halter-neck and Bella's hair had been styled so that it fell like a wave down her back covering most of her bare skin.

The personal shopper had also arranged for Bella to wear some priceless Cartier sapphire and diamond drop-earrings and a matching necklace that comprised of a magnificent sapphire in an elegant diamond setting. Her eyes had been made up to look smoky but apart from that her make-up was quite minimal. Matching silver shoes and clutch bag completed the look and Edward couldn't take his eyes off her. If he had, he would have seen the appreciative looks from the other guests and the staff, as their eyes surveyed this unknown beautiful girl who was the centre of Edward's attention.

James arrived in the foyer and smiled at Edward and his anxious escort. "You look sensational Bella, enjoy yourself tonight." Bella smiled, too nervous to talk.

They walked towards the side door which was opened for them by a very smart doorman who winked at Bella and gave her a little bow, and then they stepped out arm in arm, into a world of shouts and yells and flashing lights.

In that moment anonymous Bella Swan from Forks, Washington, whom the world had ever heard of before, became Bella Swan, girlfriend of Edward Cullen, one of the most desired men on the planet. Tomorrow morning her face would be on the front of every celebrity magazine, her life would be the subject of every celebrity gossip website and she would be either hated or adored by the fan-sites.

Her life changed in that instant, but that was the price she had to pay to be with Edward, and she was willing to pay it – a million times over.

* * *

They woke the next morning feeling like death! It had been a long night but enjoyable. Tanya hadn't showed, claiming a family emergency back in the States, but she wasn't missed.

Edward rolled off the bed and disappeared into the bathroom then came back again and fell face down on the bed. "I am never, ever going to drink again" he groaned. "Fucking Emmett, feeding me drinks all evening."

Bella hadn't drunk a lot but her feet were killing her. Her Jimmy Choo's were beautiful but she wasn't used to wearing high heels, well not that high anyway and not for six hours. She was standing on tip-toe all night and her calves were aching like hell. She tried to get out of bed but couldn't, so gave up, even though her bladder was complaining.

Edward turned his face to look at her and chuckled. "What are you laughing at?" Bella retorted, she was not in the mood for fun and games this morning.

"Your eyes look like Alice Cooper's, your hair is all over the place, you're wearing one of my old t-shirts with a million dollar necklace and earrings!"

Bella recalled trying to get the necklace off last night but she couldn't undo the catch, and Edward was too drunk to help. She had forgotten about the earrings.

After a while she forced herself out of bed and staggered into the bathroom. She used the facilities and then turned the shower on and dragged the t-shirt off. She made another attempt to get the necklace off but couldn't, but did manage to remove the earrings. She stood under the shower and as the blissful hot water poured down over her calves and soaked into her feet, she felt instant relief.

She heard Edward come into the bathroom and he joined her in the shower but neither of them had the energy for hanky panky so they stood there in silence for ages, not caring that they were probably sending the hotel's energy bills through the roof.

When they had recovered enough to order a room service breakfast, even though it was almost midday, Bella asked what his plans were.

"I have an appointment at the Solicitor's at three, will you come with me?"

Bella presumed correctly that this was about his grandmother's house so she agreed. This meant going back to Richmond as his grandmother had used a local law firm for all her financial dealings including her will.

Edward arranged for a car to drive them to Richmond as he considered that he was still too hung-over to be behind a wheel safely. The car picked them up at two thirty and they drove through a rain soaked London towards Richmond.

The driver dropped them off at the front of a tall, elegant Georgian house that was facing the green. The four storey town house had been converted into offices, but it was only when you got to the front door and saw the names of several companies on brass plates in the porch, that you were aware that it was not a family home. These houses were listed buildings and the facades would never change for the another two hundred years.

Edward pressed one of the buzzers and a very cultured female voice responded with a welcome. "Edward Cullen to see Mr. Jenks" Edward said in response. Another buzzer sounded and the door clicked open.

Mr. Jenks's office was on the first floor so they walked up the stairs and was greeted by the receptionist. She was pleasant and efficient and made them both coffees while they waited for Mr. Jenks to finish with an earlier client. After about ten minutes they saw a woman leave and Mr. Jenks beckoned them inside.

"Hello Edward, a pleasure to see you again, and this must be Bella Swan?" Edward looked at him surprised that he knew Bella's name and then saw a picture of himself and Bella on the front of a tabloid newspaper that was lying on his desk.

"News travels fast nowadays" Edward commented ruefully. Mr. Jenks nodded and indicated that they should sit down.

He shuffled some papers on his desk, then opened a drawer and closed it, then turned and picked his briefcase up off the floor, then put it back down again, knowing full well that Edward was desperate to hear what he had to say, so he was relishing keeping the information to himself for just a few more minutes.

"Well Edward, it looks as though your grandmother had a genuine soft-spot for you. Probate has been granted and you are now the official owner of your grandmother's estate, once all the death duties and fees have been paid that is."

Edward grasped Bella's hand. "Oh thank God" he cried. Bella could feel that he was shaking with emotion and she put her free arm around his shoulders and hugged him.

Mr. Jenks was babbling in legal jargon about what happened next but Edward couldn't absorb what he was saying. It had taken him over three years to win this case. His parents had produced false witnesses who had made statements that his grandmother was senile. They had also claimed that Edward had coerced her into signing this will by saying that her son and daughter-in-law were alcoholics. They had used numerous delaying tactics hoping that as Edward became more famous and obviously richer, that they would be awarded the estate because Edward didn't need the money. They forgot that number one, this was not about money and two, the British legal system was unbending and sentimentality and sympathy was never a consideration – the law was the law.

They thanked Mr. Jenks and walked out the door onto Richmond Green. It had stopped raining and the weather was brightening up. Edward held Bella's hand and looked up into the sky and watched as the sun appeared from behind a cloud and he thought that this was a metaphor for his own life. He felt the warmth on his face and the load that had been sitting on his shoulders for the past three years slowly lifting away.

"Come on!" he said to Bella and they walked hand in hand around the edge of the green until they reached his grandmother's street. When they got to the house Edward stood on the threshold of the property and searched for the key in his pocket. Taking Bella's hand they walked up to the front door and they both held the key as it turned in the lock. Edward switched off the security system and they walked in and then straight through the house to the kitchen door.

Edward unlocked it and still holding Bella's hand he pushed the door open and they walked out onto the small patio and the smell of the rain-covered roses enveloped them. He put his arm around Bella's shoulders and pulled her closely into his chest.

Looking at his grandmother's beautiful garden with the girl he loved by his side, he said

"Grandma, I'm home."

* * *

After a while they went back into the house and Edward walked from room to room gathering his thoughts and remembering the precious weekends he stayed here with his grandmother, away from the trauma of his parents' home. The house was in a time-warp and he accepted that it needed updating, but he was reluctant to change any of it, less the memory of seeing his grandmother in every room faded. He knew now wasn't the time to make decisions as so much had gone on in the past week and he still wasn't completely convinced he wasn't going insane, but the house was his responsibility now and it was time he started behaving like an adult.

He phoned his driver and gave him instructions where to pick them up, then Edward went back to the garden and located the clippers. He picked buds from every bush and as before, handed a beautiful white rose to Bella and kissed her on her forehead. They locked the house up and got in the car and asked the driver to take them up Richmond Hill to the church.

Bella sat in the car while Edward went to visit his grandmother's grave. She could sense he needed some alone-time and watched while he cleared the faded roses from the gravestone and replaced them with new ones from her garden. She could see him talking to her, presumably telling her about what had happened in his life since his last visit, and then he blew her a kiss and walked back to the car.

Edward climbed in next to Bella and held her hand as the driver pulled away and made his way down the hill to the main road that would take them back into London. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. "I'm ok Bella – thanks for giving me space" he said.

When they got back to the hotel Bella ordered room service and Edward called Jasper. They arranged to meet up the next day as they had had no chance to get together since the day Bella landed. While he was saying goodbye to Jasper, Bella's cell rang and she saw that it was Mike calling.

She listened to what he was saying for about twenty seconds and then started shrieking and dancing around the room. Edward watched her with a bewildered expression, not knowing who it was on the other end of the phone making her react in that way and so to avoid a long explanation she passed the phone to Edward who took it and pressed it up to his ear.

"Who is this?"

"Edward – it's Mike."

"Hi Mike – what have you said to make Bella jump up and down like a lunatic?"

"We've got a new backer."

"Shit. Who, for fuck-sake?"

"Tanya's father!"

"No fucking-way"

"Yes fucking way"

"How?"

"James sent her father a tape of your meeting and he is so appalled at Tanya's behaviour that he's got his guys to contact me with an offer, on the understanding that James won't make public what she's done and Emmett keeps quiet about her being a coke-addict"

"Holy Shit"

"Daddy called Tanya just before the London premiere and ordered her back to Alaska. She is in rehab on his insistence or he will disown her and Jacob has been sacked and reported to the Law Department for gross misconduct."

"Excellent, the conniving bastard! Mike I'm so pleased it has worked out for you and Tyler and I'm so sorry that you got mixed up in Tanya's vendetta against me and Bella in the first place, you shouldn't have been involved with this shit."

"Edward, as long as you are still up for doing the film, then it is water under the bridge and a lesson learned as far as I'm concerned, and I'm getting new lawyers as well, the last lot were less than useless, not picking up on Jacob's loopholes."

Bella had stopped leaping around the room and was standing behind Edward with her arms around his neck while he was sitting talking to Mike and she could hear the conversation going on between them. She spoke quietly in Edward's ear; "Ask him when he wants me back at work? Mike actually heard her and shouted "Monday" Bella groaned.

Edward and Mike spoke for a few more minutes and then hung up after Edward said that he would travel back to New York with Bella and would meet him on Monday.

Edward picked Bella up and swung her around like she was a small child. "I don't believe it" he cried. Everything is working out how I wanted it! Kate told me not to give up hope."

When he realised what he had said he put Bella down, knowing that she was going to ask the obvious question.

"Edward, who is Kate?"


	30. Chapter 30

"It's a long story Bella, but when I tell you it I need you to keep an open mind and listen while I go over what has happened to me over the last few days and then you can tell me whether I'm going mad or not."

"You're not mad Edward – who told you that?"

"Just listen to the story Bella."

There was a knock on the door and it was room service with their evening meal. Edward refused to start talking until after they had eaten and were sitting comfortably on the sofa. This was going to be a long evening.

Nearly two hours later, Bella was sitting open-mouthed as Edward concluded the tale at the point when Jane found him walking back into the hotel and he discovered that no time had elapsed and that he had effectively existed for forty eight hours in another dimension.

Edward watched warily for her reaction, trying to read her mind but he wasn't picking up any vibes as Bella just sat there in stunned silence.

"Say something Bella." Edward needed some sort of response – even "You've lost it" or "I'm phoning the nearest psychiatric hospital," anything.

Bella's brain was trying to compute what he had told her, but nothing made sense. This was the real world, not fantasy. The story he had just told her was fine for a book or a film, but not for real life, not for Edward and Bella's world. She totally believed that HE believed that what had happened actually DID happen, but it couldn't be true – could it?

Eventually she opened her mouth and spoke to him. "I truly believe that you experienced what you have told me, but it must have been an elaborate dream Edward. I totally believe that you are telling me the truth, but this stuff just isn't real."

Edward looked slightly downcast. "It is in my world Bella."

Bella was not sure how to handle this. She really wanted to believe him and she knew he needed her to believe him, but the story was just too fantastic and he had no evidence to prove it had happened – however she knew that Edward would not spin a yarn like this, he had absolutely no reason to.

"What happened to the envelope Kate gave you?" Bella had just recalled that he'd said that Kate had given him something when he left her car and she wondered whether the contents of the envelope would give them any clues.

"I don't know – I left it in one of the offices downstairs by the conference suite, but when I went back to get it later it had gone."

"What was in it?"

"I don't know – Kate told me not to open it until I was back in the hotel or I would be late."

"Late for what?"

"The press conference."

"This is too weird."

"I know – I can't get my head round it at all, the more I think about it the more I think I must be going crazy. It can't have happened but I know it did. I saw, I felt, I experienced two days in her company. We walked, we talked, she fed me, I slept two nights there, I washed and shaved, saw a badger – it can't have been a dream."

Bella was naturally concerned about Edward's state of mind. She was aware that he had been under an enormous amount of stress during the previous week and the easiest explanation was that he passed out when he left the hotel and came-to after having an elaborate, vivid dream. That wouldn't explain the mysterious envelope, but as that had disappeared, she would never know what was in it or if it had existed anywhere other than in Edward's mind.

Edward got up from the sofa and started pacing up and down with a determined look on his face. "I want to try and find her Bella. I want to go to Berkshire and see whether I can find the house and the river and the island. Will you come with me?" he begged. Edward was craving for Bella's support now – he had to find closure one way or another. If he wasn't able to find Kate, or any trace of her, he would have to accept that he had imagined everything and put it down to his fragile state of mind. If he did find her or proof that she existed, he had an awful lot of questions that needed answering.

Bella threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Of course I'll come with you; I'll help you solve the mystery. Anyway I want to meet Kate and thank her for helping the man I love."

Edward picked her up in his arms bridal style and walked to the bedroom but with no intention of sleeping. "I love you so much Bella and I need to show you just how much. I thought I'd lost you and I vowed if I ever got you back I would never let you go. You're mine and I'm yours, body and soul, forever."

That night they lost themselves in each other's bodies, kissing, caressing, and loving one another; becoming whole as they both rediscovered the other part of themselves.

* * *

The next day they met up with Jasper and Alice and took them to Richmond so that Alice could partake of her favourite pastime, i.e. shopping. She adored the unusual shops and charming boutiques hidden away down the narrow side streets leading to the green and she spent an absolute fortune.

Edward and Jasper gave up after about two hours of being 'perfect boyfriends' and found a local hostelry to partake of the local brew, spending the following two hours contemplating what lucky bastards they were. Feeling rather mellow after at least four pints of beer and a plate of unhealthy bar snacks each, they were discussing the merits of either Jasper moving to New York or Alice moving to London, when the girls appeared laden with shopping bags.

Alice threw herself into a comfy leather chair and groaned as she kicked her shoes off. "What possessed me to wear high heels shopping?" she said as she tried to massage the pain away from her aching feet looking enviously at Bella's Converse. "Because you don't possess a flat pair of shoes Alice" Bella responded laughing. Alice snorted and shrugged her shoulders and then saw the funny side.

After Alice and Bella had recovered, they walked the short distance to his grandmother's house. Alice was completely smitten with the house and its furnishings. She had studied architecture and interior design at college and had since developed a successful career in New York, refurbishing upmarket apartments in some of the city's most affluent areas. She delighted in all the original features in the house, especially the roll-top bath in the ancient bathroom upstairs.

After she had examined every room and taken photographs with her camera phone, Edward took them into the garden to show them the roses and to tell them about his grandmother's will – Jasper knew part of the story already but was unaware that Edward had just come into his inheritance.

This time Edward only clipped a white rose for Bella and a bright pink one for Alice. Bella was curious why he hadn't picked some for his grandmother this time and as they were leaving the house she asked him.

"While the will was in probate" he said, "Mr. Jenks arranged for a local couple to look after the house while I was in Los Angeles. They came at least once a week and the lady cleaned the house while her husband looked after the garden. After they completed their work, they would take a bunch of roses up to grandma's grave so she always had her flowers with her. I asked whether they could carry on doing it until I decide what to do with the house and I guessed they must have been here this morning because there were fresh rose petals on the patio."

They walked slowly back to where Edward had arranged to meet his car. Jasper had to give Alice a piggy-back because her feet were on fire and she couldn't get her shoes back on. The driver dropped all of them off at Jasper's apartment where they ordered another unhealthy meal from the local Chinese Takeaway and spent the evening reminiscing about Edward and Jasper's time at the local Theatre Group with stories about all the girls they managed to charm.

It was getting late and Edward had plans for tomorrow so he called his driver and they said goodnight to Jasper and Alice – well just to Jasper as Alice had been asleep on the sofa for the past two hours.

When they got back to the hotel, Edward went over to the front desk and had a word with one of the staff who Bella saw nodding to whatever he was requesting and saying something like "very good Sir!" British people were so polite.

In the elevator Edward could see Bella was curious. "I've asked them to organise a car for us and to get me some maps of Berkshire – we are going 'Kate Hunting' tomorrow. It's our last day in England for a while so I'm going to give it a go."

"OK Edward - let's give it our best shot!" Bella said encouragingly, but secretly she was very apprehensive about what they might or might not discover in Berkshire.

* * *

The next morning they set off in a comfortable SUV armed with numerous maps of the Royal County of Berkshire. Edward headed for the M4 Motorway and they were soon leaving the sprawl of London behind them. After driving past the turn-off for Heathrow, within ten minutes they could see the imposing sight of Windsor Castle to their left, resplendent on one of the highest points in Berkshire.

They drove on until Edward saw the signs for Maidenhead where they left the motorway and were soon in beautiful countryside that was dotted with charming houses and well-kept pubs. Bella spotted the sign for the centre of Maidenhead and they followed the directions until they were driving through this beautiful riverside town.

"Do you recognise anything? Bella asked. Edward shook his head – "no, nothing. Kate's house was next to the river, but there weren't any other houses anywhere around. I remember a junction, a gas station and a small shop but that's all.

"What type of shop – can you remember it's name?"

Edward scrunched his eyes up as if it would help him remember. "It was like a mini-market, the sort of shop that sells everything. The name was familiar – it reminded me of someone but I can't remember. I was really sleepy from being out in the sun all day. I just remember driving past and seeing it – there was a bike outside and a sign with an ice cream on the front."

Edward decided to find the river and drive as near as possible to it trying to spot a tributary. Maidenhead itself was on the Thames but the river was obscured from view from the road for much of the time so he found it difficult to follow.

They had driven around for a couple of hours with no luck and Bella was getting hungry and also needed the bathroom, so they stopped at a pub which had a pleasant garden. Edward introduced Bella to the delights of a traditional English Ploughman's lunch, which consisted of white crusty bread, cheddar cheese and pickle. "Heaven!" he exclaimed as he devoured all of his and half of Bella's. After finishing their lunch they spread their maps out on the table trying to find any evidence of any other rivers in the vicinity.

An old gentleman who was smoking a pipe in the garden came over and asked them if they needed any help. He was used to tourists visiting the riverside pub as there were many attractions in the area including Eton College and Henley, plus two very famous restaurants nearby in Bray.

"We're looking for a friend's house," Edward said. "I've lost her address, all we know is that her garden backs onto a tributary of the Thames – we can't seem to find any on the map."

The old gent stroked his chin. "You've got the wrong type of map there sonny – you need an Ordnance Survey map. That'll show you all the smaller rivers. What's her name – maybe I know her?"

"Her name is Kate – that's all I know."

"Hmm – I don't know a Kate. I used to know a Katherine though, but that was twenty-odd years ago. Sorry."

Edward thanked the old gentleman and looked at the now useless map, wracking his brain trying to remember anything that could help him find her.

"Newton's Stores – that's it. Newton – Mike's surname, I knew there was a connection." Edward leapt up and spoke to the old man again. Bella watched as the man started waving in the direction of the road and gesturing left, right, left, so while Edward was getting the directions she folded the map up and collected their belongings.

They walked quickly back to the car and were soon on their way, driving away from the town. Edward drove for several miles in complete silence and Bella noticed that his hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly and he had a look of sheer determination on his face. This morning Bella was feeling quite light-hearted about the adventure but now she was seriously concerned about Edward's state of mind and what he would do if he found her, or worse, didn't find her.

"There it is!" Edward shouted and slammed the brakes on before pulling over into the forecourt of the service station and store. He jumped out and waited for Bella to join him before opening the door of the shop. A small bell jingled as they walked in and they looked around for a shop assistant. Eventually a man appeared from the back and asked if they needed any help. As he spoke, a friendly looking woman also appeared with a mug of tea in her hand – they had obviously disturbed their lunch.

Edward spoke up. "I'm looking for a friend of mine – she's called Kate and she lives near her. I don't have her address and I wondered if you knew her?" As Edward spoke those words, the couple exchanged glances which made Edward react. "You know her, don't you, you know who I'm talking about – can you point me in the right direction to her house, please?" Edward's voice was breaking with excitement and relief that he was going to get to the bottom of this mystery at last.

Bella took hold of his arm as she could sense Edward becoming agitated, but also the realisation hit home in that moment that Edward's strange, unbelievable story may actually be true, which made her feel very anxious about what was going to happen next.

The shopkeeper spoke to the woman who Bella presumed was his wife. "I'll go this time dear – I won't be long" he said then he gestured to Edward and Bella and said "Follow me."

The three of them left the store and the shopkeeper jumped into a small van and indicated that Edward should follow in his car. They set off down the road and drove for about half a mile until they came to the top of a gravel track that would have been impossible to spot if the shopkeeper hadn't been guiding them. Edward still did not recognise any of the scenery around him but as he had arrived at Kate's in the pitch dark and he had left to go back to London when he was half asleep he wasn't too concerned.

The man parked at the top of the track and got out of the van as Edward and Bella pulled up beside him. Together they followed the man down the stony path, dodging out of the way of low hanging branches and sharp brambles, some of which overhung the pathway, making it impossible to see far in front of them. Edward was sure they were going in the wrong direction as he couldn't recall Kate's car being scraped by branches when she started the drive back to London, but he didn't say anything, he just gripped Bella's hand very tightly and followed the shopkeeper.

The pathway widened and Edward could see an overgrown hedge blocking their way; the shopkeeper had stopped in front of it and turned to face Edward and Bella. He had done this walk many times before and anticipated the reaction that he was going to get when this young couple heard what he was going to say.

"This was where Kate's house was" he said pointing at the hedge and beyond. "It burned down over twenty years ago with Kate inside. She managed to get her daughters and cat out, but she died trying to rescue her dog. She was a lovely lady, she had time for everybody, and we really miss her."

**Please, if you are going to review this chapter, please don't give the twist away for future readers. Thanks xxxxxx**


	31. Chapter 31

Edward let out a cry and had to steady himself by leaning on Bella. The man watched as Edward slowly collapsed to the ground through a combination of shock and grief. He had sunk to his knees and Bella was in a state of panic with her arms around his shoulders, not knowing what to do.

The man came over and bent down so he was looking into Edward's face. "You've seen her, haven't you?"

Edward nodded and wiped his eyes. "Yes, only a few days ago – I stayed here in this house with her, she looked after me."

The man straightened up and offered Edward his hand to help him stand. "I believe you young man, because you're not the first person Kate has helped, and you certainly won't be the last."

"What do you mean?" Bella asked, suddenly finding her voice.

"Two or three times a year, a stranger comes to the shop looking for Kate and I bring them here and show them the house. They have the same reaction as your boyfriend. Kate helps people; she sorts their problems out, gives them time to think and to talk, to see the world a bit more clearly. She used to be a counsellor you know, before she had the children and then she became an artist. I haven't seen her since she died, but plenty of people around here, including my wife, have seen her in her boat going towards her island. That's where her daughters sprinkled her ashes. She loved that place."

Edward got to his feet and walked towards the hedge to get a better look at what was left of the house; he was visibly shaking and his fingers were gripping handfuls of his hair. Bella was trying to imagine what was going through his mind right now; he had just experienced the euphoria of finding evidence that Kate was real and not a figment of his imagination, which was the confirmation he needed that he wasn't going crazy, but then he had almost immediately discovered that Kate was dead and had been for over twenty years. Bella couldn't comprehend how she was going to help him now?

Edward stood at the top of the overgrown driveway surveying the plot of land. Before him was the burned out wreck of the house where he had stayed less than a week ago; one side of it was now partially covered with ivy as though the earth was trying to cover its secrets from the world. The arched door to the kitchen was still visible, poking through the charred rafters that had once been part of the roof. Over the top of the pile of rubble he could just see the once idyllic garden, now a riot of weeds and overgrown bushes. The garden gate was still there, but was now hanging off its hinges. The frames of the greenhouses were also visible, but the glass was all smashed, as were the walls of the hen house.

The shopkeeper walked up to Edward as his mind was taking in the scene in front of him and put his hand on his shoulder. "Son, you've had a shock, it's too much to take in isn't it?" Edward nodded. "Did she help you?" Edward nodded again, unable to respond with words as he was too emotional.

"Then don't over-analyse what has happened" the shopkeeper said as he gripped Edward's shoulders and turned him so they were face to face. "Just accept it; live with the knowledge that she was there when you needed her. Be grateful for what you've got now and live your life to the full."

The shopkeeper was speaking as though what had happened was a normal, everyday occurrence and Bella was totally confused. As Edward couldn't speak, she spoke for him. "Is Kate a ghost – is that what you're trying to tell us?"

The shopkeeper laughed. "I don't know what Kate is, a ghost or a guardian angel – all I know is that she helps people who are in bad place, or hurting, or suicidal, or at a crossroads in their life, and who are we to judge what she is, how she does what she does, or why she does what she does."

"So there are lots of other people like Edward who have experienced what Edward has?"

"Yes, it started about five years after she died. We don't think twice about it now and we won't tell anyone by the way because we don't want ghost hunters or other nutters coming here. Your boyfriend is Edward Cullen isn't he?" Bella nodded. "I only know because I sell newspapers and my daughter has pictures of him on her bedroom wall, I recognised him as soon as you guys walked in."

Bella laughed grimly – even out here in the middle of the Berkshire countryside, he couldn't get away from his celebrity status.

The shopkeeper started walking back towards his van. "I must get back to the wife – I don't like leaving her on her own in the shop. You can find your way back to the main road, can't you?" Bella nodded and said thank you and gave him a small wave as he disappeared behind the brambles.

She put her arms around Edward's waist and held him tightly, unable to guess what he was going to do next, but whatever he did she would support him. She didn't believe in ghosts, in fact she didn't believe in the hereafter, but the evidence was here in front of her. Ghosts were meant to be creepy things that would frighten the daylights out of you, but she didn't sense anything here unless it was a feeling of loss and sadness.

Edward finally was able to speak. "I don't understand Bella, this is crazy – this isn't real. I physically came here in her car. Ghosts don't drive, they don't cook bread, they don't steer boats, aren't they are supposed to appear and disappear through walls?

"I touched her, she kissed me goodbye, what the hell has happened to me? I've never been to this place before in my life, but I know if I walked through that gate and turned right, about a quarter of a mile up river there would be a boathouse and then further on would be an island. How do I know that?" Edward was pleading for answers but Bella didn't have them.

"Edward baby, the shopkeeper told you not to over-analyse what happened. Unless you see Kate again, you will never know or understand, so just accept it – please!" Bella wanted to get him away from here, to get him back to reality. Being here was only adding to his anxiety and she knew she had to get him back to the car somehow. "Edward, can we go. We can come back another time when you feel better – please lets go?"

Edward let out a long sigh and turned his back on the house. "OK lets go, we've got to get back to London and have a rest before the flight tomorrow. But I am going to come back here one day soon Bella, because there is something I want to do."

They walked back to the car and Edward got out his phone and took photographs of the track and then one of Newton's Stores as he drove past and then one of the road junction and the signs. "So I can find my way back here" he said to Bella.

They found a route to the motorway easily and were back in the busy London traffic within the hour. Edward had been quiet on the journey and Bella didn't want to disturb him when he was driving, but they were stuck in traffic near Earls Court and she thought this would be a good time to attempt a few questions.

"What are you thinking Edward? Do you feel any better now?"

"I've got a million and one solutions going round my head at the moment Bella and nothing comes anywhere near to answering all of the questions." Edward was running his hands through his hair and for the first time in ages he was desperate for a cigarette. He had been off them for over three years now but if someone had put a packet in front of him he would have smoked the bloody lot!

Bella was pleased he was talking so she pressed on. "What's your favourite solution then?"

Edward thought about it as he looked around at the lines of stationary cars, jammed nose to tail, not moving anywhere. "OK – this is my best shot" he said.

"I walk out of the hotel and sit down on the pavement to gather my thoughts and I pass out through tiredness and stress. My mind is somehow taken over by a woman called Kate who lives in the spirit world and in the lost fifteen minutes, she imprints thoughts into my mind and I see a bit of her world, where she lived, what she did, that sort of thing. I wake up, walk back to the hotel with lots of memories that I didn't have before that seem real to me. What do you think?"

Bella thought that was plausible, as long as you believed in the spirit world. "I suppose that would explain the lost time bit and that you knew roughly where she lived and could describe her house. That's not a bad explanation Edward, I'm amazed."

"I can't think of any other way to get my head round it. I've got no material evidence, only memories. I can't even prove the envelope existed! The brain is an incredible thing, we only use a fraction of its capacity, so maybe someone or something tapped into my mind when I was at my lowest point, when I was totally vulnerable to a mental attack, and lived inside me for a while."

"Sounds reasonable" Bella said and laughed. "I can't believe we are talking like this – you have just been through the weirdest of experiences and we are trying to make sense of it by talking about someone living in your head."

Edward laughed as well. "I know, but Bella, the shopkeeper was right – we have to live for the moment. I've got you back, that's all I ever wanted. I'm happier now than I have ever been in my whole life. I will go back to Berkshire one day because I want to show you something that I know is there, but I'm going to put everything weird that happened to me this week behind me and move on. Life is for living and I'm going to make the most of it."

Bella undid her seat belt and scooted over to Edward and gave him a passionate kiss, earning them strange looks from the drivers in the surrounding cars. "I love you so much Edward and I'm sorry that I wasn't able to thank Kate personally for what she did for you. Let's forget about this, let's accept it happened in your mind and Kate is your guardian angel looking after you.

Edward kissed her back. "Ok – I'm the luckiest guy in the world, I know – I'm a two-angel guy, one who looks after my mind and the other looks after my body!" Bella slapped him on the arm. "Trust you to lower the tone" she said.

Edward was beginning to accept now that his experience with Kate was all in his mind – how it got there he couldn't explain, but he was now convinced that he had never left London and time hadn't stood still while he was allegedly undergoing therapy in leafy Berkshire. His mind was clearer now; he had Bella, he was going to do a film he was excited about, he had a home in Richmond to call his own and life was good – in fact it was great.

They eventually drew up outside the hotel and Edward jumped out and ran around to Bella's side to help her out of the car, even waving to the paparazzi that were on the other side of the road waiting for him. He threw the keys at the valet and walked hand in hand with Bella through the foyer on the way to the elevators. He was just about to press the button when he heard his name being called by the manager at the front desk who was beckoning him over.

"Mr. Cullen, Mr. Cullen – we have something here for you." The manager was reaching under the desk trying to find whatever had been delivered. "More fan mail Edward thought."

"Ah, here it is" the manager said and straightened up, holding a large brown envelope in his hand.

* * *

Edward stopped breathing for a second and stared at the envelope in shock. Surely it wasn't the same envelope that Kate gave him – that was just his imagination. His mind wasn't absorbing the babbling of the hotel manager as he apologised for not bringing it to his attention sooner – it had been found in an office in the Conference Suite and handed in to Reception. He felt Bella standing beside him and she had the presence of mind to hold her hand out for the envelope, say "thank you", and steer Edward quickly towards the elevators before anyone noticed that his face had drained of colour.

The elevator took them up to their floor and Edward followed Bella into the suite. She made him sit down on the sofa and poured him a large brandy and one for herself. Putting the envelope down unopened on the coffee table in front of them, she knocked back her brandy in one shot, and then turned to Edward who was visibly shaking again.

"Do you want me to open it?" she said. Edward nodded and took a sip of his drink and watched while Bella carefully opened the envelope. She peered inside and saw three sheets of thick paper which she slowly drew out and placed side by side on the table. They both gasped when they saw the first one and by the time the third one was sitting in its place, they were both stunned and amazed at what was before them. Bella's hand went over her mouth to stop herself crying out and Edward buried his fingers in his hair and then crushed his head between his hands.

In front of them were three exquisite pencil drawings of Edward that had been signed by Kate; the quality of the drawings was good enough for any art gallery anywhere in the world. All three were studies of Edward's face and hands and in sequence they told a story.

In the first one you could see the pain in Edward's face and the weight of the world sitting on his shoulders. His eyes were tired and filled with sadness and despair. Edward guessed that she must have drawn this one when he first arrived – he recalled her doodling on a notepad while they were sitting on her patio under the stars, but he hadn't paid much attention as he was pouring his heart out to a total stranger at the time.

In the second one you could see anger and frustration in his eyes; how she had managed to transcribe his mood and his feelings into a drawing was astounding. Edward could recall how he felt when he told her how he had been tricked by Tanya and how he suffered afterwards when he thought he had lost everything through intrigue and deceit. She had captured this on paper – a picture of a man on the edge, a picture of a man ready to give up on his torturous life.

The third one was different again – Edward could see hope and determination in his face. His jaw was rigid and set and his eyes were clear and focussed. He was resolved to face the world and get back what had been taken from him.

Kate had looked through a window into his soul and had captured the essence of him with a pencil and an artist's pad. In front of him was a story board, like the ones in Emmett's conference room. He could see with his own eyes his transition from hopelessness to hope, from despair to determination, from heartbreak to love.

The realisation that it hadn't been a dream at all overwhelmed the two of them and they gazed at the pictures; on the one hand marvelling at the skill of the artist and on the other horrified with the realisation that these pictures had been drawn by a woman who had been dead for over twenty years.

Edward took a mouthful of brandy and laid his head on the sofa. "It really happened Bella – I wasn't imagining it. I don't know what to think or do anymore?" He ran his hand through his hair and then sat up to look at the pictures again.

"They are beautiful drawings Edward – it's as though she's known you for years. Maybe she IS your guardian angel and she may have been watching over you since you were young, because you were an unhappy child. She might even be watching over you now. She came to you when you needed help and now she's gone. She has left you a gift, a record of when you moved from the dark back into the light. You're with me now and we are going to have a wonderful life together." Bella leant over and kissed him on the cheek and then snuggled into his side.

"You're right" Edward said as he pulled Bella closer to him. "I'm happy now, happier than I have ever been before. In fact if you're listening Kate, I don't need a guardian angel anymore. I have Bella to look after me and I promise I will love and protect her until the day I die. You took me away for those two days and gave me a chance to think rationally about my life and what direction I must take and I want to thank you for that. If you hadn't have been there, God knows what would have happened to me."

"No more looking back, Edward?"

"No Bella – we've got a lot to look forward to."

"Just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us!"

"I love you Edward, nobody has ever loved anyone as much as I love you."

"There's one exception" Edward replied, standing up from the sofa and taking Bella's hand, pulling her up into his arms. As Bella stood up, the brown envelope fell to the ground and Edward spotted a small white card lying on the floor.

He bent over and picked it up, turning it over to see the message written on one side in flowing script.

_**To Edward**_

_**Live life to the full – Enjoy every precious moment**_

_**Bella will love and protect you now so my job is done **_

_**Goodbye and good luck**_

_**Kate**_


	32. Chapter 32

It was the night of the premiere of Mike and Tyler's film. Crowds had been waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the A-List guests who would be attending, but they were mainly there to see Edward and Bella.

Edward's fan base had taken Bella to their hearts because she was just a regular girl from a small town in Washington State and not an over-privileged bimbo like Tanya. She had supported Edward and been discreet about their relationship, not using his fame to further her own career and they liked that.

Edward and Bella were in their hotel room checking each other out before they left for the film together. Edward looked immaculate as always in a black Gucci tux and just the right amount of stubble to make his fans go wild. Bella was wearing a stunning cerise gown, slim fitting with a fish tail, silver shoes and matching bag. They looked each other over, turning this way and that, posing in front of the mirror like super models and then they both laughed out loud because if they had had their way, they would have turned up in jeans and t-shirts – but that would not have gone down well with the fashion police.

When they had stopped giggling and Bella had touched up her eye make-up again, she gave Edward a gentle kiss on the lips. She was so proud of him; the film had been entered for the Palme D'or in Cannes, but even though it didn't win best film, Edward had won the Best Actor award totally out of the blue. Since then James had been inundated with scripts for Edward to peruse and he was currently in negotiation with at least three production companies.

Edward looked at the girl standing in front of him and he was so proud of her as well. She had taken on the role of 'girlfriend of a superstar' in her stride and had continued working for Mike and Tyler as though her life hadn't changed a bit. Her professional life hadn't, but Edward had bought an apartment in New York and relocated from LA so that they could live together when he was not filming. He was not prepared to be apart from her anymore.

Edward had fallen in love with The Big Apple as it felt more like London than LA and he was beginning to feel at home there; he had always felt like a tourist in California. They loved all the varied clubs, bars and restaurants and went to the theatre as much as possible, quite often with Alice and Jasper, who had got a job teaching English in a school in Brooklyn. Jasper had moved into Bella's flat with Alice and he had also joined a local theatre group. Edward and Bella often spent time in his local theatre supporting their productions and Edward occasionally sneaked onto the stage as an extra, but usually heavily disguised.

As they were travelling through the busy New York streets in their limousine on the way to the premiere, Edward recalled the week they had spent in Cannes and the wonderful time they had had, rubbing shoulders with the giants of the film business. Bella had completely charmed everyone she met and they had become the golden couple of the festival as far as the press was concerned.

After Cannes they flew to England and stayed at his grandmother's house for the first time. He chuckled when he recalled meeting up with Alice after he had returned to New York with Bella last year. Alice had literally got down on her knees in front of Edward and had begged him to let her update the house, promising to preserve as many of the original features as possible. He was actually going to ask her to do it, as he wouldn't have trusted anyone else, but he quite enjoyed watching her grovel as he hummed and ha'd whether to let her do it!

Alice had consulted him all the way through the renovation, but he was still apprehensive as he opened the door for the first time. The first thing he saw was the hall floor, which was exactly the same; black and white diamond tiles that were at least two hundred years old, but practically everything else in the house had changed. Alice had completely redecorated every room in soft greys and creams and the old fashioned patterned carpets had been replaced with wooden floors in all the downstairs rooms apart from the hall. The kitchen had been ripped out but the new units were not ultra-modern, but quite ornate which matched the age of the house. The only room that had not been radically altered was the upstairs bathroom, where Alice had brought specialist people in to repair the original fittings so that it looked like new again. She did convert a massive walk-in cupboard off the main bedroom into a shower room though – a house without a shower - ugh!

Edward walked slowly from room to room taking in all the changes. Alice had re-framed some of his grandmother's family pictures and they were displayed either in attractive groups on the walls or strategically placed on shelves or mantelpieces. Several original pieces of furniture remained, including her desk and a rocking chair. The piano was also still there and had been French-polished and tuned.

Bella followed Edward around the house in silence, waiting to hear his reaction. She thought the rooms were stunning but was anxious to hear how Edward felt about all the changes. In the end she had to say something.

"What do you think Edward; are you happy?"

Edward put his arm around her shoulders and led her to the French windows overlooking the untouched garden. "Yes, I'm happy Bella. This is our home now, not a shrine and Alice has helped us move on. The house is beautiful and I'm thrilled we've updated it, but the garden is going to stay as it is because that is where I'll keep my memory of my grandmother alive. I can still see her clipping the roses and smelling their perfume and that memory will stay with me as long as I live."

The fridge had been stocked with food and wine by Mr and Mrs Jones who were now permanently employed as gardener and cleaner, so they cooked their first meal in their new kitchen and ate it outside at the table on the patio. After drinking a bottle of wine between them and watching the sun disappear behind the trees, they got ready for bed. As they were moving around the bedroom, Bella picked up that Edward was acting a bit strangely in that is he was distant and couldn't look her in the eye.

"Come here baby!" she said and wrapped her arms around him as he stood by their bed looking anxious. "This was your grandmother's room, wasn't it?" Edward nodded and his eyes went down to the floor. "Would you prefer to sleep somewhere else?" Edward shook his head, still not able to make eye contact. "You can't bring yourself to be intimate with me in here can you?" Edward nodded and Bella pulled him towards the bed. "Get in Edward, I won't seduce you tonight, I promise."

Edward smiled sheepishly and allowed himself to be pushed down onto the mattress; he rolled over under the duvet as Bella scooted in beside him. "I'm sorry Bella, it just doesn't seem right yet. I haven't slept here since I was a teenager and I still feel my grandmother's presence."

"That's ok Edward" Bella said and snuggled up close to him, "I'm quite tired anyway" she lied.

Bella lay there for a few minutes unable to sleep even though she felt as though she was lying on a cloud. "Wow! This is a comfy bed" she said and looked up at the polished oak headboard that had an ornate carving on it. "Hang on a minute" she said and sat bolt upright, staring at Edward.

"This is the bed from the hotel isn't it?"

Edward grinned up at her. "I bought it from the hotel – they didn't want to sell it to me at first, but I made them an offer they couldn't refuse."

"But why? I know it goes with the house, but ...oh!"

Edward pulled her down towards him and put his hand on her face, stroking her hair and then kissing her gently on the lips.

"On this bed we made love for the first time and it was where I realised I was in love with you. It's our bed forever now."

"Oh Edward!" was all Bella could say and she launched herself at him. Edward took her in his arms and suddenly he couldn't care if his grandmother was watching, or anyone else for that matter, in fact if there had been a secret camera beaming a live broadcast to every living room in the nation he couldn't have cared, he was going to make love to Bella tonight, so he did!


	33. Chapter 33

They woke up the next morning in each other's arms after a wonderful sleep. Bella had to ask a question that had been bugging her though; "Edward, this isn't the same mattress is it – I mean hundreds of people must have slept on it and done all sorts of things on it?"

"No Bella" he chuckled. "The hotel was going to change the mattress anyway. I just bought the frame so this is, sorry was, a virgin mattress."

After showering and eating breakfast on the patio, Edward told Bella they were going out for the day. He had hired a car which was sitting on the drive, so within half an hour they were on the road heading away from London.

"Where are we going Edward?" Bella said, but he wouldn't say, just grinned at her and tapped himself on the nose.

They were soon on the motorway and Bella was trying to get clues from the Sat Nav where they were heading. They had been driving for about half an hour when she saw Windsor Castle on her left and realised they were probably on their way to Berkshire. Edward sensed that Bella had guessed where they were going and knew then that he had to say something to her.

"It's not what you think Bella" he said. "I'm not going to try and find Kate again – that's all behind me now. I need to show you something – just trust me please?"

Bella nodded but she was concerned that he was still trying to find answers to what had happened to him, but she trusted him completely and so she smiled reassuringly and allowed him to concentrate on driving. He hadn't mentioned Kate for months and she genuinely thought that he had come to terms with what happened and had moved on and now she was worried again.

In the first few weeks after they left London, they talked about his experience with Kate, and Edward had admitted to Bella that having the drawings in his possession was cathartic in one way as it was evidence that he, along with others, had been touched by Kate. However she had noticed that every now and again he seemed to go off in a trance as though he was detached from what was going on around him.

She guessed that he was often thinking about previous events which understandably had had a profound effect on him; however he had reassured her that he was ready to move on. So she watched him carefully as the weeks turned into months and gradually the episodes stopped completely. This was the first time he had mentioned Kate for a long time and she was obviously concerned that he was taking a step backwards but she decided to reserve judgement for the moment and see how the day panned out.

They drove through Maidenhead and Bella could see the river on her right hand side, but to her surprise they did not follow the route to Newton's Stores. Edward turned the car off the road and drove towards the river, parking it next to the towpath where some small boats were moored. As they were getting out of the car a man came out of a building and walked towards them with his hand outstretched. "Mr. Cullen" he said and shook Edward's hand firmly and then turned to Bella to say hello and shake her hand a bit more gently. They followed him back into the building where Edward signed some paperwork and then went back out onto the towpath where the boats were bobbing about in the water.

Edward took Bella's hand and helped her climb into a sleek two seater motorboat and after a couple of minutes of instruction from the owner, he turned the key to start the engine and manoeuvred the boat away from the mooring. Bella sat back in the passenger seat and watched in amazement as Edward skilfully steered the boat along the river, occasionally referring to a map that was folded neatly on the dashboard. As there was a strict speed limit on the Thames, they cruised at a leisurely pace and took time to wave at other boat owners and their guests as they passed by and occasionally to people who were on the bank enjoying the summer sunshine down by the river.

The weather was warm for the end of May and Bella lay back soaking up the sun. England looked stunning today, the new leaves were out on the trees and everything was fresh and new. The river was sparkling in the dappled light and even though she was curious about what Edward wanted to show her, she now felt totally relaxed as the boat slipped through the water.

After a while she noticed that Edward had cut the engine and Bella could see that they were drifting towards a tree-covered island in front of them. The river was dividing into two channels and the island was at the head of the smaller channel that looked like a green tunnel as the trees overhung this part of the river almost completely. She could just see a wooden landing platform among the trees on the island and she guessed that was where Edward was heading. He stood up in the boat as it gently touched the platform and threw a rope around a post, securing it with a double knot, then he climbed out carefully and reached down to help Bella who scrambled out as gracefully as she could manage.

Edward took her by the hand and started walking up the slight incline through the trees. The sun was at its height now and he thanked God under his breath that Bella was going to see the meadow in the sunshine, just like when he first saw it when he was with Kate. He could just see the colours of the wild flowers through the trees so he stopped walking and turned to face Bella and held her hands.

"This place is special to me Bella, I came here with Kate on our last day and this is where I finished telling her my story. It was here I found peace with myself and took the decision to go back and face the world and fight to get you back. I want this place to be special for you too – I want it to be our special place."

He took Bella by the hand again and walked through the trees out into the sunshine and into the meadow full of wild flowers and his vivid memories.

Bella gasped at the beauty of the sight before her. "This is heaven" she said and slipped her arms around Edward's waist. They stood there for a few minutes on the edge of the meadow, listening to the absolute silence around them, only broken by a faint rustling in the trees and the occasional sound of birds and insects.

Edward led Bella through the wild flowers into the centre of the meadow and then kissed her passionately, running his hands through her hair and holding her as close to his body as possible. He cupped his hand under her chin and looked into her eyes, remembering the first time he looked down into them and recalling the effect they had on him all those years ago.

"I love you Bella, you are everything to me, everything" he said and then he dropped down onto one knee in front of her and held her hands.

"Isabella Swan, I promise I will love you until the day I die, I don't ever want to be apart from you again. Will you do me the honour of marrying me Bella?" He took out a small box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a dainty ring of emeralds and diamonds. "This was my grandmother's ring Bella; I want you to wear it now. She loved her husband very much during the short time they were together, I loved her very much and now I love you even more."

Bella dropped to her knees in front of him and put her hands on his face. "I love you so much Edward, I'll be proud to marry you and wear Esme's ring. You are the love of my life, I want to be with you forever."

Edward took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto Bella's finger and then kissed it, and as he did that, a gentle gust of wind blew across the meadow and enveloped them with the scent of wild flowers.

They stayed on the island for about an hour, lying on their backs looking up at the blue sky, listening to the wind in the trees and the bees buzzing from flower to flower, talking about their future, including where they were going to make their permanent home.

"I thought it was always wet and cold in England?" Bella said as a ray of sunshine practically blinded her when she opened her eyes. Edward laughed. "Our summers can be glorious, but they can also be shitty too – so we make the most of sunny days. There's no better place on earth than England when the sun shines."

Bella had lived most of her life in Washington under a constant cover of cloud and rain so she appreciated how important it was to make the most of every opportunity when the sun appeared, but she didn't know whether she was ready to relocate to England if Edward wanted to live here permanently. He had no family to speak of here, and she knew she would miss being on the same land-mass as her parents, even though she hardly saw them. But that was not something they needed to discuss now – she was happier now than she had ever been.

Eventually they made their way back to the boat, determined to return here again. Edward wondered who owned the island and whether they were trespassing, but there weren't any signs up so he felt there was no need to feel guilty. When they both got back in the boat he was tempted to steer it down the other channel to see Kate's house again, but decided against it as he didn't want to spoil their perfect day by raking up old memories.

He was just about to turn the key to start the engine when he heard the sound of another boat behind him. They both turned to look at the same time but there was nothing there and the water was still flat calm. Bella looked at Edward and Edward looked at Bella – no words needed to be said, so Edward started the engine and pulled away with one arm on the steering wheel and one arm around Bella's shoulders. "Goodbye and thank you Kate" he said to the air around them and then he kissed Bella tenderly on the forehead and accelerated away from their little piece of heaven.

* * *

The limousine pulled up at the top of the red carpet and their door was opened by a man in a very smart uniform. Edward got out first and the screams were deafening. He offered his hand to Bella who was still in the car and gave her a wink. "You're going to knock'm dead!" he said and Bella took his hand and stepped out in front of a wall of flashing lights.

Bella hung back with James as Edward was interviewed by various reporters and he signed numerous autographs for the fans. He slowly made his way to the steps of the theatre where the last of the television crews were poised ready for their allocated few minutes of chat. One eagle-eyed lady reporter had been staring like a sniper at Bella's left hand and was absolutely beside herself as no-one, I repeat no-one, had spotted that Bella was wearing something that looked suspiciously like an engagement ring on her finger.

Edward walked up the steps to where she was waiting and turned to wave at the crowd. "Hello Edward" the lady said. The interview was being transmitted live and some of the fans were watching it on their smart phones.

"Hi Angela" Edward said. "It's a bit crazy down there" he commented and gave the crowd another wave.

Angela zipped through the usual questions about the film, whether he was expecting to get an Oscar nomination, that type of thing. She knew he didn't talk about his personal life, but she was determined to get a scoop tonight.

"Edward, can we say hello to Bella and ask her what she thinks of the film?" Edward beckoned for Bella to join them and she came over to stand beside Edward.

Hi Angela" Bella said nervously. "I think the film is great, I hope you enjoy it to" she added.

Angela dived in head first. "Oh my god Bella, is that an engagement ring you're wearing – are congratulations in order?" There was a sharp intake of breath and a gasp from the waiting crowd as they waited with baited breath for Bella's response, but it was Edward who took the microphone.

"Yes, Angela. I proposed to Bella in England and she did me the honour of accepting and before you ask, we haven't set a date yet."

There was a moment of dead silence from the crowd and then wild cheering as Edward bent down and kissed Bella tenderly on the top of her head. Bella's face turned almost the same colour as her dress as they waved to their adoring public and then they disappeared into the theatre, leaving an ecstatic Angela jumping up and down on top of the steps.

"Edward, do you think they'll finally accept that you've finished with Tanya now?"

"Nope – not until we've been married at least ten years and you're expecting our fourth baby."

"That means never then."

"Ok third baby."

"I'll think about it."


	34. Epilogue 1

Two years later Edward and Bella drove up Richmond Hill and parked their car by the church. Edward hurried over to open Bella's door and helped her out of the car. He then ran back around to the passenger seat behind him and opened the door and reached inside to disconnect the baby carrier from the harnesses.

He carefully lifted up the precious cargo and walked back to where Bella was standing and took her hand. Bella was still sore from her emergency Caesarean that had been carried out only ten days ago. Bella's blood pressure had started to drop after fourteen hours in labour so the doctor took the decision to operate and the baby was born ten minutes later, much to the relief of Edward who had been to hell and back, so Edward was extra careful with Bella, guiding her over the uneven pathway as they walked slowly through the churchyard to stand in front of Esme's grave.

Edward put the carrier down on the ground and picked up the small sleeping bundle and held her in his arms. "Hello grandma" he said. "We wanted you to meet Katherine Rose Cullen – your first great grandchild. I'm sorry I haven't been able to bring you any roses from your garden today because they haven't bloomed yet, but I hope Baby Rosie will compensate for that."

Bella squeezed his hand and told him that she was going to sit down on one of the wooden benches as she was tired. She had only left hospital two days ago and she was a bit light-headed still.

She sat down and watched Edward chatting away to his grandmother, obviously saying how proud he was and how little Rosie would want for nothing. Her mind went back to just under a year ago when they had stood on the threshold of the church, having just got married there with only a few close friends and her parents present.

It had been a beautiful summer day and Bella had worn a simple knee length ivory silk dress with some small white rosebuds fixed into her hair at the back of her head. She had carried a bouquet of roses picked from the garden that morning mixed with stephanotis and white freesias. Edward wore a black suit and a white shirt, with a single white rose in his lapel. Alice was her only bridesmaid and she wore a black strapless dress with a huge ivory silk bow around her waist and bright pink shoes and a bouquet of pink roses. Jasper was Edward's best man and he wore the suit Edward had bought him for the premiere, which was the first and only suit he had ever owned.

After the service, Edward and Bella walked round to Esme's grave alone and Bella placed her bouquet by the headstone and they both blew her a kiss.

Renee and Phil and Charlie and Sue had come over for the wedding and the four of them got on surprisingly well, but they were the only family invited as Edward had no intention of letting his parents know he was getting married as they would have probably caused a scene.

Emmett and James were also invited to the wedding, which was a bit awkward as Rosalie had left James to live with Emmett six months before; however since then James had fallen head over heels for Victoria, Edward's financial adviser. Edward had 'professionally' introduced them as James's own financial adviser had just been arrested for tax evasion and fraud and was now residing in the County jail. Fortunately for James, his feelings were reciprocated by Victoria, so while Emmett and James would never be best buddies, they were civil to each other and Rosalie and Victoria got on like a house on fire.

The only other guests were Sam and Emily, who had been married at a young age and were still blissfully content after twenty five years together, so they represented the fact that marriages could last in this day and age, and also Mike and Tyler who had just announced their intention to have a Civil Partnership wedding sometime soon!

They had honeymooned in Bali and the surrounding islands for a month and when Bella got back to New York she realised she was pregnant, which was totally unplanned and unexpected. Edward was overjoyed and after Bella had got over the shock, she was equally delighted with the thought of becoming a relatively young mum. Edward wanted the baby born and brought up in England, but they agreed they would keep their apartment in New York, and so they had spent the last month of Bella's pregnancy in the house in Richmond. Renee had come to stay during Bella's last week, but was going home at the weekend, much to Edward's relief!

Edward's career had gone supersonic and he was constantly being offered silly money for a few weeks of filming. He was in the fortunate position to be able to pick and choose his roles, preferring interesting independent films with great directors rather than the generic blockbusters that were churned out year after year. He had been nominated for an Oscar, but had lost out to Daniel Day Lewis, what a surprise, but he was young and Bella knew that it was only a matter of time.

Bella watched as Edward carefully placed Rosie back in the carrier and started walking towards her; she was relieved as she needed to get home because her breasts were telling her it was Rosie's lunchtime. Edward came back to where she was seated and offered her his hand to help her up, but she indicated for him to sit beside her for a moment.

He placed the carrier down so that their still sleeping daughter was facing them; she was a beautiful baby with a heart shaped face, a rosebud mouth and a hint of auburn hair poking out from under her pink beanie! Bella leant her head on Edward's shoulder and gazed at the miracle in front of them, still trying to get her head around the fact that they were parents now and that demanding little bundle of pink was their responsibility.

"Are you ok Bella?" Edward asked. He had been fussing over her constantly since he had brought her home from hospital.

"Yes Edward, I'm fine. I was just thinking about how much has happened to us over the last few years and how happy you've made me. I really am the luckiest girl in the world."

Edward smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "I beg to differ Bella, I think there is one luckier girl than you."

"Who?" Bella said, a bit surprised that he was turning down a compliment.

"That little person sitting in front of us – she's the luckiest girl in the world, because she has you as a mother and me as her father. She's never going to want for love, I'm going to make sure of that" he said quite vehemently.

"You're right as usual" Bella said and snuggled in close to her husband.

Rosie's mouth turned up and even though she was too young to smile, it looked as though she was making an effort to communicate with them.

"See, she agrees with me" Edward said and they both laughed.

"Let's go home" Bella said and carefully stood up with Edward's assistance.

Edward helped her into the car and strapped Rosie's carrier into the harnesses. He got into the driver's seat and switched on the engine but let it run for a minute. Bella looked at him wondering what was stopping him from driving off.

"I've never thanked you Bella" he said out of the blue.

"Why do you need to thank me Edward, I'm your wife and everything I do is because I love you."

Edward took a deep breath and turned towards Bella. "I've never thanked you for believing in me when I told you about Kate, for supporting me when I thought I was going mad, for loving me despite everything, for marrying me and for giving me Rosie, but most of all for coming to England to live with me and for making my house a home. Until I met you I never knew what is was like to have a proper home but now I have you and Rosie and I know that we are going to be happy and we will be together forever."

Bella brushed a tear from his cheek and kissed him. "No time will ever be long enough Edward" she replied, "but I'll settle with forever."

"Forever it is then" he said.

Edward put his foot on the gas and drove their car down the steep incline of Richmond Hill. Looking at Bella by his side and Rosie snoozing behind him, he felt a wave of contentment wash over him and he knew that he would never be happier than he was now.

As he turned the car into the familiar street towards their comfortable house and Esme's beautiful garden, Edward knew that no matter what happened in the future, whatever trials and tribulations awaited them, he had found what he had always be searching for, this tiny piece of England was his home, and it would always be his home, forever.


	35. Epilogue 2

Edward was sitting on the sofa with baby Carlisle lying fast asleep on his chest. Rosie was playing in the corner with her favourite doll and he could hear Bella clattering around in the kitchen preparing Sunday lunch. Alice and Jasper were staying with them as they were on a short visit from New York, before they headed off to Paris and Barcelona, but they were in town at the shops at the moment buying even more clothes for Alice, but also on a mission to find some decent wine to go with dinner.

The television was on and Edward was watching the film 'Singing in the Rain' for the first time. It was the part where Lena Lamont was telling Don Lockwood that she had got Kathy Selden sacked from her job as a chorus girl after she had thrown a cake in her face at the after-show party.

Watching the film, it came to him that Tanya had suffered from the same delusions about their relationship as Lena and had been just as vindictive, which was why Kate had hummed the song all those years ago. He chuckled to himself at the memory and then felt sad that Kate had had her life cut short by the fire and did not live to see her daughters grow up. He had thought about trying to find her family, but then realised if he had succeeded, what would he have said to them?

He hadn't thought about Kate for a long time because he had been so busy with filming and helping Bella with their growing family, and he wondered whether she was still helping people who were at the end of their tether like he had been all those years ago. He had been tempted to go back, but he now accepted that her note to him saying goodbye was closure, even though it took him many months to get over the shock and to accept what had happened.

Alice and Jasper burst through the door at that moment and collapsed on the sofa opposite him. Alice had actually started wearing flat shoes so her feet were ok this time, but shopping was still an exhausting business and Jasper had had enough.

Bella came in with a tray of pre-dinner drinks and sat down to look at all the clothes Alice was pulling out of several different bags. She had left a small bag until the end and she pulled out a tiny white baby outfit that was on a little hanger. Bella looked at it and said "Alice, it's lovely, but it's too small for Carlisle – he's three months old now."

Alice grinned and looked at Jasper who grinned back. "It's not for Carlisle, it's for me!" she squealed.

Rosie looked up at the 'grown ups' who were now hugging and kissing one another and she wondered why Mummy was crying. She rolled her eyes towards heaven as three year olds do and carried on playing with her dolly that was pretty and soft and cuddly, and most definitely nothing like a Barbie!

THE END

**Thankyou so much for reading my story - I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**


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